Up next for the Jacksonville Jaguars is the first of back-to-back games in London, this one coming against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Jaguars will enter this game at 3-1, winners of two straight games. The Eagles are trending in the other direction, sitting at 2-2 after two consecutive losses.
As part of our matchup preview, here are three things to know about the Eagles, along with a prediction.
Eagles without two top playmakers
On Friday, the Eagles ruled out Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith with injuries. Barkley is, of course, one of the best backs in football. In 2024, he rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season and last year eclipsed the 1,100-yard mark. Through three-plus games this season, Barkley is averaging 5.1 yards per rush. Smith, meanwhile, has produced four
consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
With RB Tank Bigsby on IR, Will Shipley may be the next running back up for the Eagles. At wide receiver, Dontayvion Wicks (12) and Makai Lemon (10) are second and third on the team in receptions this season.
A reshaped Eagles' offensive line unit
On Tuesday, All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson announced that he was retiring. On Wednesday, the Eagles traded center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens. Drew Kendall, who was expected to start for Jurgens, has also been ruled out of this game with an injury.
Jake Majors will now potentially start at center, with Markel Bell taking over at right tackle.
How Eagles rank in key metrics entering Week 5
- Points per game: 18.8 (26th)
- Points per game allowed: 23.3 (16th)
- Yards per rush: 4.2 (13th)
- Yards per rush allowed: 4.0 (14th)
- Yards per pass attempt: 6.2 (26th)
- Yards per pass attempt allowed: 6.4 (12th)
- Pressure rate on QB: 15.2% (31st)
- Pressure rate allowed on QB: 24.1% (22nd)
- Turnover differential: -3 (T24)
- Third-down conversion rate: 35.8% (19th)
- Defensive third-down conversion rate allowed: 40.3% (18th)
- Red zone success rate: 61.5% (13th)
- Defensive red zone success rate: 58.8% (16th)
Jaguars vs. Eagles Week 5 prediction
ESPN's Seth Walder doesn't just like the Jaguars to win this game, but he expects Jacksonville to win by multiple scores:
"The Jaguars will win by two touchdowns. Philadelphia is 2-2 and ranks 27th in EPA per play on offense and 25th on defense. That is rough. And in three of those games, the Eagles had the now-retired Johnson, too. We can and should think about these teams dramatically differently now than when the season began (for the Jaguars, this is a good thing!)."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 3 things to know, plus a prediction for Jaguars vs. Eagles Week 5 game
