With the Philadelphia Eagles set to take on the Los Angeles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday, it's a good time to answer some questions, solicited from readers on Twitter, Bluesky, and Threads. This is Part II of a two-part mailbag (Part I here).
Question from Steve (via text): What is Matthew Stafford's history in bad weather games?
Stafford mostly avoided "bad weather game" scrutiny this week, probably because he has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and weather is theoretically less likely to affect quarterbacks who can whip the ball through the elements. But he doesn't have a lot of experience playing in bad weather, at least for a 36-year old guy who has started 231 career games.
He was born in Florida, grew up in Dallas, went to college at Georgia, and has played in domes for his entire NFL career. According to Tucker Bagley, Stafford has a bad record in bad weather games:
Matthew Stafford outdoors in the rain/snow: 1-8 record, 54.6 completion percentage, 14 TDs, 11 INTs. 76.0 passer rating.
75% chance of snow on Sunday in Philadelphia.— Tucker Bagley (@TBagleySports) January 16, 2025
Beyond the bad record, Stafford has played in a shockingly low number of games in which there has been precipitation. By comparison, the Eagles played like a half dozen rain games in 2023 alone. So, you know, add that to the list of other reasons why bad weather could negatively impact the Rams.
Question from @JosephForrest: I expect the Rams to try to "pick on" Nakobe Dean's replacement in the defense. What strategies may they try to do that and how might the Eagles counter?
I think that at a basic "football isn't that complicated" level, they'll look to attack the middle of the field when the Eagles are in zone coverage. Certainly, Vic Fangio doesn't want Cooper Kupp killing them in the middle of the field all day, and I imagine he's smart enough to have a plan in which he not asking Oren Burks / Jeremiah Trotter to have to do too much.
When the Eagles are in man (I expect the Eagles to play more man than they usually do), the Rams could try to get favorable matchups with Tyler Higbee. Of course, if McVay is going out of his way to get the ball to Higbee instead of Kupp or Puka Nacua, then that's probably a win for Fangio right out of the gate.
This could be a big Cooper DeJean game. He's going to have his share of tough man-to-man assignments out of the slot. He had a great game Week 12 against the Rams, but I imagine McVay will look to test him some more.
Question from @jabostick (via Bluesky): Kellen Moore had three interviews this week, and a passing game that has left a lot to be desired. How can any coach possibly have proper focus while still in the playoffs? At a minimum he is reviewing rosters / staff / cap / ownership of three teams let alone any other extraneous stuff.
Nick Sirianni was asked about that on Friday.
"He'll be in all the meetings and doing all his work, there is no doubt," Sirianni said. "He has been all week, and he has done everything the way he’s needed to do it to get us ready for this. I think there is sometimes a misconception of coaches, that at the end the week you don't get any time to relax. There is a time on Fridays and Saturday afternoons where you do that.
"Those are the times that, in these scenarios, guys have earned the right to interview for jobs. I think that we're not the only ones in this position. There are a lot of teams that are still going this weekend that are having guys do this as well.
"Kellen is ready, has our team ready. He's handled it big time all week. I really never thought that he wouldn't. He's handled it like a pro."
While I understand the need for teams to hire their coaching staffs and get on with their offseasons, it does strike me as a bit unfair to the teams that are still alive to have their coaches interviewing for other jobs while they're trying to win playoff games.
In my view, there's no reason why those interviews can't wait at least until after the NFC/AFC Championship Games, when there's a two-week gap until the Super Bowl. There's no way that having three head coaching job interviews isn't distracting in some way.
Question from @premoveobserver: With Kellen Moore probably among Jerry Jones' top two head coach candidates, do you have any replacements in mind? Do you see Howie doing whatever it takes to keep Christian Parker and Clint Hurtt around next season?
We'll get to Moore's potential replacements if and when that time comes. I don't have the bandwidth for that at the moment. But your mention of Parker in particular caught my eye. (He's the Eagles' Passing Game Coordinator / Defensive Backs Coach, for those of you unaware.)
If we're judging positional coaches on the way the players at their positions play, then Parker absolutely crushed it this season. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are the two best rookie corners in the NFL, Darius Slay has had a good season, and even Isaiah Rodgers and Kelee Ringo have played well enough when they have had to step in. At safety, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has gotten better as the season has progressed and Reed Blankenship had a very good season after an up-and-down 2023.
I think Parker is a future defensive coordinator.
Question from @stevecleff (vie Bluesky): Best guess, is the source of the passing issues (and conservative approach) Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, Kellen Moore, or some combo? Will it persist as long as Nick is here is my real question. Curious long term what’s best for more successful offense?
I think the Eagles have decided that ball security is the most important thing, which I understand is a confusing approach to some, given that the Eagles have the best offensive line in the NFL, an elite WR duo, and the best running back in the league. Personally, I'd be more aggressive if I had the Eagles' weapons.
That said, they do also have the No. 1 defense, so maybe it's really not that crazy? And certainly now that the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs, the Eagles can probably continue to play this style of ball for two more games and land in the Super Bowl.
Question from @danmg1128 (via Bluesky): What’s the argument against re-signing Mekhi Becton? The Eagles place premium on OL, haven’t drafted one early in a number of years. Why wouldn’t the Eagles make it priority to resign a talented 25-year-old as the RG of the present, RT of the future like they would with a high pick?
Well, there's no argument to get rid of him. If they could keep him at the price they signed him for this offseason, they gladly would.
However, the Eagles are already paying premium money to Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and Lane Johnson. You can bet that they will also be paying premium money this offseason to Cam Jurgens.
Becton is likely to get good money in free agency, and I'm doubtful that the Eagles can afford to pay all five offensive linemen at the top of the market at their positions. Something has to give.
As for what position Becton will play the rest of his career, we've seen him not play so well at tackle, and then be really good at guard. I wouldn't pay a premium on the hope that he can take over for Lane Johnson at RT someday, especially with his injury history. I think the Eagles place an extreme amount of importance at the tackle spots, and they will at some point use significant draft capital to develop a more pure tackle prospect for the long haul.
Question from @DrewSportsNews: Of the 8 remaining teams, how would you rank them from most to least likely to win it all? Not necessarily best to worst.
This question was asked before the Saturday games, and I would have answered that like so:
- Chiefs
- Lions
- Eagles
- Bills
- Ravens
- Commanders
- Rams
- Texans
A big domino fell when the Lions got eliminated, obviously. My re-ranking:
- Chiefs
- Eagles
- Commanders
- Bills
- Ravens
- Rams
Why are the Commanders third? Well, they have one fewer game to win.
Why are the Eagles 2 and the Bills/Ravens 4 and 5? I'd give the Eagles something like a 70 percent chance of winning in the Divisional Round, whereas the Bills/Ravens game is a 50-50 shot. Also, the Eagles will have a home game in the Conference Championship Round if they get there, and the Bills/Ravens will not.
Question from @HalfLife2025: Why has it been so long since the last food spread review and when can we expect the season ending summary?
Yeah, I have failed you all on that one. I didn't immediately write the Rams game up back in Week 12, and the Ravens game was right after. And then the season just got busy, the food spreads got put on the back burner, and I just fell way behind. I did finally write the Rams review last week (didn't publish yet), but I still have to write the Ravens', Commanders', and Eagles'. Honestly, if I have some free time to get to that it will probably mean the Eagles' season is over, so be careful what you wish for. 😉
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