The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Bettor backs Eagles with $3.1 million wager to beat Panthers – ESPN
A bettor in Kentucky is backing the Philadelphia Eagles to defeat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday with a $3.1 million wager, one of the largest bets ever reported on an NFL regular-season game. Circa Sports took the wager on the Eagles money line Thursday afternoon at -700 odds, which would net approximately $442,800. In response, the sportsbook moved its line on Philadelphia to -870 and lengthened Carolina to +650 as of Friday morning. Other sportsbooks have Philly as long as -675, with the Birds giving around 13 points to the Panthers on the spread marketwide. Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens told ESPN that the bettor first placed $1 million on the Eagles, then asked to bet more, ending up with the $3.1 million on Philadelphia. It’s the largest bet the sportsbook has ever taken, Stevens said. “I told my guys in the risk room to go to work and get some buyback on the Panthers,” Stevens said Friday. “With us being in five states now, we should have the liquidity to get enough buyback to where we end up needing the Eagles.”

Eagles and Panthers news ahead of Sunday’s game – BGN
The Eagles temporarily elevated FB Khari Blasingame and S Andre’ Sam from the practice squad. Blasingame only signed with the Eagles’ practice squad earlier this week. He’s essentially a direct replacement for Ben VanSumeren, who hadn’t played any linebacker snaps anyway prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury. Blasingame will potentially contribute as a lead blocking fullback in addition to helping out on special teams. Sam, an undrafted rookie free agent signing, is set to play in his first NFL regular season game. The Eagles were in need of more safety depth since starter Reed Blankenship and backup Sydney Brown were both ruled out. Sam could be the fourth safety option behind C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Tristin McCollum, and Avonte Maddox. He also figures to contribute on special teams.

Saquon Barkley on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s record, and faces bad run defenses ahead – PFT
In the final three weeks the Eagles face their three division opponents: the Cowboys (who are allowing 147.6 rushing yards per game, making them the second-worst run defense in the NFL), the Giants (allowing 145.8 rushing yards per game, fourth-worst in the NFL), the Commanders (allowing 137.0 rushing yards per game, sixth-worst in the NFL). Barkley has already faced all three divisional opponents once this season, and he totaled 388 rushing yards in those three games — and in two of those three games he went to the bench early because the Eagles were winning blowouts. With five games remaining, Barkley has an excellent chance to take from Dickerson what Dickerson took from O.J. Simpson, and become the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing champion.

Game Preview: Panthers vs. Eagles – PE.com
1. Saquon Barkley gets better as the games go along. No, it isn’t just a “feeling” you have watching the Eagles and seeing running back Saquon Barkley bust so many big runs and gaining such consistent yardage later in games. Here are the facts for Barkley as he leads the league in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage … This is just mind-boggling stuff for a back who is closing in on LeSean McCoy’s franchise mark of 1,607 rushing yards in a single season, set in 2013. Wilbert Mongomery is No. 2, having gained 1,512 yards in 1979. Here is Barkley at 1,499 yards and a couple of big runs away from making Eagles history. Carolina’s run defense, by the way, ranks 32nd in the NFL and allows 166.8 yards on the ground per game.

Eagles’ biggest concerns with playoffs approaching: End this ‘adversity’ – NJ.com
The Eagles have struggled with slow starts this season, ranking last in first-quarter points with 17. Overall, Philadelphia’s offense has been one of the NFL’s best, finishing No. 3 in total offense through 13 weeks in averaging 377.7 yards per game. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and running back Saquon Barkley are arguably the NFL’s best trio of playmakers. Jalen Hurts has been one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks since Week 6, amassing 10 touchdowns and throwing one interception. And the Eagles’ offensive line has been elite at pass protecting and run blocking. But during the first quarter of games, the Eagles’ talented offense makes sloppy mistakes, including losing too many yards on negative plays and bad penalties.

Eagles notebook: The art behind the wacky world of punting – NBCSP
Cooper DeJean started moving his hands wildly as he methodically went through all the different ways a punted ball can spin. “It can spin this way. It can spin that way. It can go end over end, it can do the opposite… ” There are a ton of different ways the ball can spin and NFL punters are really good at making it difficult to field punts. So it’s imperative that the Eagles’ punt returners get a chance to practice with all those weird spins. That’s where Braden Mann comes in. “When we get our punts in, he’s able to hit some of these weird balls from around the league, and they’re just getting more acclimated to it,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “Kind of hones everybody in that we have to be on our Ps and Qs when it comes to fielding the ball.” Mann said there are bout seven different punts the Eagles use. Some of those punts he’ll use in games and others he uses just to get the Eagles’ returners ready for the opponent. During a week of practice, some days are geared toward the punting operation and others are for the returners. But Mann is always happy to fire off a bunch of consecutive punts without the whole operation.

Eagles should steal awesome variation to ‘tush-push’ used by Texas in SEC Championship – Sporting News
The Longhorns faced a fourth and short at the Georgia 28 yard line with 13:06 remaining in the second quarter. Leading 3-0 at the time, coach Steve Sarkisian bypassed a field goal attempt and instead sent 6-foot-4, 225-pound freshman quarterback Arch Manning into the game, presumably to plow forward on a QB sneak. Some awesome trickery ensued. Center Jake Majors snapped the ball through the legs of Manning and directly to running back Jaydon Blue, who instead of pushing Manning scampered ahead for a gain of 3 yards and a first down.

Panthers Reacts Results: Confidence continues rising in spite of losses – Cat Scratch Reader
Fan confidence in the direction of the Carolina Panthers has set a new season high this week, with 83% of survey respondents indicating they are happy with what they are seeing. Confidence has been rising steadily since their Week 9 win against the New Orleans Saints and has stayed on the rise each week since in spite of the team’s losing streak that currently consists of two consecutive losses.

Rod Wave might have actually saved Bryce Young’s NFL career – SB Nation
It’s still unknown what exactly Rod Wave said to Bryce Young during their call, but whatever he said it clearly worked better than anyone could have possibly anticipated. In his last five games Bryce Young is completing 60.6 percent of his passes (102/169) for 1,082 passing yards with 6 touchdown passes against just 3 interceptions. Those numbers may not jump off the screen and scream “FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK!” but it’s important to remember that in Young’s two starts at the beginning of the season he completed 55 percent of his passes for 245 passing yards, 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Washington Commanders’ biggest needs addressed in the first round – Hogs Haven
Brugler’s mock has the Washington Commanders picking at #21, like the majority of the mocks in this quick roundup. He is the only mocker that has Washington taking Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, a Heisman trophy hopeful. Jeanty rushed the ball 312 times for an insane 2,288 yards(7.33 ypc) and had 28 rushing TDs. Will new GM Adam Peters take a RB in the first round, that will depend on how he ranks Jeanty compared to the other players in the draft. The most popular players mocked to Washington in this roundup of 13 mock drafts are East Carolina CB Shavon Revel and Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka with three nods each. Revel also makes an appearance in the second round from Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell, while the site’s namesake has Washington taking him in the 1st. Revel is the only CB mocked to Washington in the first round, but there are two other WRs (Luther Burden III, Missouri, Isaiah Bond, Texas).

Cowboys win streak has fans feeling a little bit better about franchise direction – Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys two-game win streak has not only kept their slim playoff hopes alive, but has also lifted the spirits of some of the fanbase. Reality tells us the team isn’t likely going to the playoffs this season, but they have not given up the fight and are trying to build some momentum heading into the offseason. Of course, along the way, they are getting a worse draft position with their wins, but football teams aren’t built to tank, and the Cowboys are certainly not going to do that. Previous to the win streak, fans support for the team heading in the right direction was down as low as we had ever seen it, in the 2-3% range. Now, 29% of fans think things are heading in the right direction.

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons backs Mike McCarthy: ‘I would like a fair shot with everyone back’ – NFL.com
Add Micah Parsons to the list of Cowboys voices clamoring for Mike McCarthy’s return. A 5-7 season plagued by an underperforming but injury-depleted roster has seemingly put McCarthy, who entered the year as a lame duck without a contract beyond the 2024 campaign, in potential danger of not getting another deal in Dallas. Parsons, however, wants another chance for everybody involved. I think I would like a fair shot with everyone back — players, coaches — because the injuries kind of struck of what this season could really be,” Parsons told ESPN’s Todd Archer. “The injuries have been terrible. And, you know, it really sucks. Seeing Zack (Martin), D-Law (Demarcus Lawrence) not having the year I know he planned to have. He had such a great start. It really sucks.

Depleted New York Giants make slew of roster moves before facing New Orleans Saints – Big Blue View
The New York Giants, ravaged by injuries along the defensive line and a few other spots on their roster, made a series of roster moves on Saturday.

These Aren’t the Same Old Lions Because This Is the Same Old Dan Campbell – The Ringer
The Lions have become a feel-good story in their climb out of the NFL’s basement. Campbell, with his heart-on-his-sleeve demeanor and bold decision-making, has guided them the whole way. They still have to wrap up the season, fend off the Eagles, and see how they’ll fare in the playoffs—no easy task considering the current state of their defense, their remaining schedule, and the still-lingering concerns about their quarterback in the dead of winter. But Thursday night did feel like an apex moment for this Lions club. No team in franchise history has started 12-1, and it’s meaningful that they’ve gotten to this point by playing like themselves. That means going for the fourth downs, taking the chances, and ending with a win and a raucous postgame speech where Campbell stopped midway through to congratulate a lineman for throwing up.

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