Five Storylines for Undefeated Eagles and First-Place Jaguars

Doug Pederson was a big one during the week, and still is, but what about his DC Mike Caldwell and the impact of Philly's slot CB Avonte Maddox being out?

USA Today

PHILADELPHIA – Here are five storylines for Week 4’s matchup between the Eagles (3-0) and Jaguars (2-1) at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday (1 p.m./CBS).

AVONTE MADDOX OUT

It might be a disaster that the slot corner will miss his first game after making 21 straight starts, including last year’s playoff game, if not for the Eagles' options.

The trade Howie Roseman engineered for Chauncy Gardner-Johnson on the final day of August could pay bigger dividends than it already has, since CGJ played primarily in the slot with the Saints. Experience like that could come in handy against the Jags’ slot WR, Christian Kirk.

If Gardner-Johnson moves from safety to slot that would open up some reps for K’Von Wallace, who has had just 10 defensive reps this season, or even the debut of UDFA Reed Blankenship.

Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon could mix and match, moving CGJ from slot to safety, and having either Zech McPhearson or Josiah Scott shuttle in and out at slot. Scott could even get some reps at safety after being cross-trained there this summer.

Not having Maddox could help Gannon disguise looks even more, thereby confusing second-year QB Trevor Lawrence.

RETURN OF DOUG PEDERSON

It was a storyline this week for obvious reasons.

How much will it mean?

“I just know firsthand this place can get extremely loud,” he said on Friday. “We expect it to be loud this weekend. … It's a great environment up there. It's great for football, it's a football town. Our guys handled the week of practice extremely well, they handled the noise.

“It just comes down to communication. Obviously, it starts with me getting the plays into Trevor (Lawrence) and then Trevor communicating that with the huddle.”

MIKE CALDWELL’S QUIP ON JALEN HURTS

Who can forget Caldwell telling his Buccaneers players that the Eagles’ quarterback was incapable of reading Tampa’s defense in last year’s playoff game. Caldwell, who was the Bucs’ LB coach and now is Pederson’s defensive coordinator, wasn’t wrong, but we will see if it is something that has stuck in Hurts’ craw.

It will be a big test for the QB.

Caldwell was asked on Friday about facing Hurts in the playoffs last year.

“As coaches, you go back and you want as much information as you can,” he said. “You go back, and you watch games from last year, teams that have similar defenses or similar structures that we have, and just go back and try to see any similarities with what they’re doing this year and have the guys aware that they could do this, could do that.

“It’s really just being able to prepare for the unknown because so much is unknown. Weekly, they change plays and change different ways that they attack defenses, so we just have to make sure that we have our guys prepared the best we can.”

SACK ATTACK

The Eagles' defense had nine in the win at Washington last week. They won’t get that this week.

The Jags’ O-line has only allowed their QB to absorb two sacks. At 31, Taylor Lewan may be playing the best football of his life at one tackle spot and Cam Robinson is doing a nice job at the other tackle spot, and it never hurts to add a five-time Pro Bowl and one-time, first-team All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff.

If the Eagles want to make life difficult for Trevor Lawrence, something will have to give.

JAGUARS DEFENSE

It’s very good in the early going, ranking first in the league in takeaways/giveaways at plus-7 and against the run giving up an average of just 55 yards. They have faced some good running backs, too, including the Colt’s Jonathan Taylor and the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler.

The defense, though, is ranked 21st against the pass. The weather forecast is calling for rain and wind gusts of 15 to 20 miles per hour on Sunday, so that could present a challenge, but throwing the ball may be the best way to exploit this defense.

That means the offensive line must be on point, especially tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Malaita, who will have to defend against Jacksonville’s outside linebackers, Josh Allen and rookie first overall pick Travon Walker.

Walker knows Eagles rookie Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean well after the three helped Georgia win a national championship last year.

Johnson and Mailata are going to have to get to know him and Allen really well.

“I have a lot of respect for Lane and Jordan both,” said Pederson. “Josh and Travon both, they have their work cut out for them and they have to really stay within themselves and be disciplined and try not to do too much…

(Johnson and Mailata) are just two really good tackles that our two guys, I know they'll be prepared, but they have to study the tape and understand the one-on-one matchups.”

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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.