PLAYER NOTES
–RB Jay Ajayi was placed on injured reserve on Monday with a torn ACL in his left knee. “Jay is a big part of what we’ve done, so it’s an injury that will impact us here until we get the guys back out there,” said offensive coordinator Mike Groh. “Wendell (Smallwood), he’s done a really nice job in the playing time he’s gotten thus far in the season; really pleased with his production. He’s done a nice job. Corey’s (Clement) progressing with his injury. We’re happy with the guys we got. We think we still have talented players to be really good at the running back position.”
–The Eagles have several players on injured reserve now. In addition to Ajayi, they are receivers Mack Hollins and Mike Wallace, tight end Richard Rodgers, and safety Rodney McLeod.
–G Isaac Seumalo is expected to make his second straight start in place of veteran Stefen Wisniewski. Wisniewski was benched for the game with the Vikings and head coach Doug Pederson said Seumalo played well other than one bad snap and would likely stick with him in a short week of game preparation.
–RB Darren Sproles has not played since the season opener due to an injured hamstring. Sproles was expected to be a big part of the offense this season, and had nine touches in the opener against the Falcons. His return could go a long way in helping the Eagles overcome the season-ending injury to Ajayi, but he was declared out Wednesday for Thursday night’s game.
–S Corey Graham injured a hamstring after just three plays against the Vikings and did not practice on Monday or Tuesday. He was declared out on Wednesday.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: S Avonte Maddox. Drafted as a cornerback in the fourth round from the University of Pittsburgh, Maddox has had to learn the nickel corner spot and then, when Rodney McLeod landed on injured reserve with a knee injury, had to learn safety. He went from playing 20 snaps in his safety debut against the Titans to playing all 62 against the Vikings, making three tackles. With Corey Graham likely out, Maddox will see plenty of snaps – if not all of them – again Thursday.
“I’m getting better, getting better each day and just learning more and the more I learn I get comfortable,” said Maddox.
Added defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz: “Brought some energy to us. Shows great range. He picked things up extremely quick, but I said that last week. When you play the nickel position you basically play a safety position for us. When Corey got hurt early in that game that really changed the dynamic of how much he was going to play. He was up for it.”
GAME PLAN: The Eagles will try yet again to get off to a quicker start. They have scored just seven points in the first quarter all season. After the first quarter in last Sunday’s loss to the Vikings, they had minus-four yards of offense and no first downs.
“I think guys are so intently trying not to mess up, and that’s probably the wrong mentality,” said head coach Doug Pederson. “You should just go out there and be loose and play. But when we struggle starting games as fast as we have in the past or whatever it might be, guys probably put a little extra pressure on themselves to perform and we can’t do that either. That’s not healthy, either.”
Defensively, the Eagles must find a way to prevent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., from breaking big plays. The Eagles have been burned repeatedly this year by big-play wide receivers, already surrendering 100-plus receiving games to four receivers: Atlanta’s Julio Jones, Tampa Bay’s DeSean Jackson, Tennessee’s Corey Davis, and, last Sunday, Minnesota’s Adam Thielen.
QUOTES TO NOTE: “Coming off a loss, our biggest thing is we get to flush it quick and put it behind us,” said DT Fletcher Cox. “I think the biggest thing for us, we have to win a game. We’re coming off two losses. Guys that are here don’t know what it feels like to lose two games in a row, myself included. I’m sick to my stomach. I’m glad we get to play on Thursday. We get to fly around and make some plays and see everybody have fun.”
“It’s definitely tough,” said QB Carson Wentz about the quick turnaround between games. “I don’t know if our bodies are quite made to take these beatings in five days. It’s definitely a lot of mental and physical preparation that goes into it, so taking care of our bodies is No. 1 in weeks like this.”
“They have some guys that can run after the catch, Odell Beckham Jr. obviously, and (RB Saquon) Barkley,” said defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. “Barkley is a lot of times like a wide receiver. He’s a guy that can get two yards, three yards, four yards, and then all of a sudden break one for 38 or 60 or whatever he can do. He’s a big-play guy. We have to do a good job tackling him. He catches lots of short passes out of the backfield. Looks a little different than the wideouts, but he catches short passes and screens and stuff like that. He has the ability to break it if we’re not 100 percent where we’re supposed to be.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Eagles DT Fletcher Cox vs. Giants G Will Hernandez. The Eagles’ veteran lineman leads the team with three sacks. Hernandez is a rookie who, head coach Pat Shurmur said, is improving each week. Still, Cox figures to be a handful. “The thing with Fletcher is he’s so powerful but he’s also quick,” said Shurmur. “He can create pass rush from the middle, and that’s really tough on an offense.”
–Eagles TE Zach Ertz vs. Giants LBs and DBs. Though Ertz has yet to be the red-zone and third-down threat that he was last year, he is on pace for more than 1,000 yards receiving and is aiming for his third straight game with 10-plus receptions and 100-plus yards. He leads all NFL tight ends in catches (41) and receiving yards (437).
