With Chip Kelly facing questions about his job security with the Philadelphia Eagles, the team needs a win to silence critics. That could be hard to come by considering they are facing the New England Patriots this week with Tom Brady reportedly angry after their Week 12 loss. The Eagles have almost no momentum working in their favor, but getting some players back from injuries could at least spark some kind of change.
According to ESPN's Phil Sheridan, Sam Bradford has returned to practice and is expected to start on Sunday barring any setbacks with his shoulder injury and concussion. Mark Sanchez has been filling in and will be ready to play should Bradford be pulled at the last minute. Bradford stressed that he feels healthy and ready to play. At 4-7, the Eagles sit one spot behind the Washington Redskins for the NFC East so there is certainly a lot of important on the final games of the season. Bradford remains confident in the team.
"Anytime you lose, it's tough," Bradford said, via ESPN.com. "When you're hurt and you're not able to be out there fighting with your guys, it's been tough. The good news is we're only a game back in our division. Obviously, the season hasn't gone the way we hoped for. That being said, we're still in a position to get on a roll here and make the playoffs. Every game from here on out is important."
While the Eagles will have Bradford, they are expected to be without one of their top playmakers in Ryan Mathews. According to CSNPhilly.com, Mathews is expected to miss his second straight game with a concussion as he has yet to be cleared to practice. The running back was hurt in Week 11 and has not been seen since. Mathews is their most explosive playmakers this season ripping on big runs with few carries on the year. Without him, DeMarco Murray is the lone workhorse and that did not work out well against the Detroit Lions. The running back along with Darren Sproles struggled to do much of anything on the ground and it certainly showed.
The biggest thing for the Eagles is getting rid of the mistakes in the passing game. Jordan Matthews has been plagued by drops in recent games while Josh Huff and Nelson Agholor are struggling to do much of anything. According to ESPN.com, Zach Ertz has been cleared to play after his concussion stint which should help Bradford out while Brent Celek and Riley Cooper remain his other two top options while everyone else struggles with mistakes.
