Philadelphia Eagles: Three keys to win over Jaguars in Week 8

Jump on Jacksonville early and put them away

This one is a lot easier said than done, as Jacksonville still sports a terrific defense. They have come a bit back down to earth a bit from last season, but their defense still remains among the best in the league.

Last week, the Eagles did a great job of jumping on Carolina, getting out to a 17-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter though, the wheels came falling off as the Eagles gave up 21 points to lose the game 21-17.

Getting off to a fast start is still important this week. If the Eagles can do that, then they’ll be in good shape. But, if they can jump out to an early lead in this game, they need to be able to hold onto it and put Jacksonville away.

In the fourth quarter last week, the Eagles rarely ran the ball and resulted in trying to move the ball through the air while they were still up and trying to put the Panthers away. That is not something that can happen in games.

The Eagles inability to put teams away can be due to a lot of factors. It seems Doug Pederson does not trust his running backs in fourth quarter situations. If that is an issue, then the Eagles may want to go out and add a back that Pederson can trust.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles just seem to fall apart in the fourth quarter. Giving the quarterback all day to throw and letting teams easily march down the field. The Eagles need to find a way to generate more pressure down the stretch and put teams away.

These consistent collapses have cultivated a disturbing trend that has cost the Eagles at least two games so far, and it is something that must come to an end if the Eagles wish to return to the playoffs.