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One of the marque matchups in Week 3 of the NFL season pits the Philadelphia Eagles against the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch from the Divisional Round of the playoffs last season. The Eagles got the better of the Rams on a snowy day in Philadelphia in January on their way to a Super Bowl, and the two sides will reunite on Sunday in the City of Brotherly Love.
Both teams are off to 2-0 starts this season and look like contenders in a very crowded NFC once again. The Eagles got off to an impressive start, beating the Dallas Cowboys on banner night before taking down the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch in Week 2.
The Rams won a gritty game against the Houston Texans to start the year before dismantling the Tennessee Titans thanks to a masterful second half in Week 2.
The Rams come into this game as underdogs and will be up against a fiery Philadelphia crowd on Sunday afternoon, but there is one area that the Cowboys had a lot of success attacking where the Rams can find some easy yards.
Quinyon Mitchell emerged as a household name in the NFL as a rookie, immediately establishing himself as the top cornerback on Philadelphia and deterring targets from the second he stepped on the field.
In 2024, the Eagles had Darius Slay on the opposite side of Mitchell, so they were able to shut down even the best passing games in football. However, Slay moved on to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now the second cornerback spot is a massive hole in Vic Fangio’s defense.
Adoree’ Jackson has been the primary guy playing opposite Mitchell in sub packages, while Cooper DeJean occupies the slot. DeJean can bump outside in base personnel, but the Eagles usually have three corners on the field.
The Rams thrive in 11 personnel with three wideouts on the field and can force the Eagles to play Jackson, and Sean McVay has the requisite weapons to attack the journeyman DB. Davante Adams will likely see a lot of Mitchell as the primary X receiver in the offense, and he will get his in man coverage in what should be one of the best individual battles of the whole weekend.
However, Mitchell will still deter plenty of targets, and the Rams can use Puka Nacua to move around and try to attack Jackson.
Nacua is already over 200 yards receiving in two games and thrives against both man and zone coverage, so expect a heavy dose of the young star in McVay’s offense on Sunday as the Rams try to get to 3-0.
The Cowboys excelled at getting CeeDee Lamb matched up on Jackson, especially early in the season opener, and they thrived. Even the Chiefs were able to pick on him a bit with their depleted receiving core. So far this season, Jackson has given up 129 yards...
