3 underrated Eagles that Chicago Bears must worry about
All of the talk amongst the Philadelphia Eagles is that Nick Foles and his magic are going to be tough to defend. However, these three unknown players may have the biggest impacts on the game
We all know of Nick Foles and the magic he has brought to the Philadelphia Eagles from their Super Bowl performance to making the playoffs this year. However, football is a team sport and while Foles gets the credit for the success, the fact is that the team has formed around him to become better now than they were earlier into the season.
This has had a lot to do with the jump in play taken by the three players listed. While all eyes will be on Foles and his magic on Sunday, if these three players can take another step forward on Sunday, they may make the difference in the game.
Keep in mind, these are not the three best players. However, they are extremely impactful and if they can go from being underrated to playmaker, it would be a concern for the Chicago Bears.
When breaking down the Eagles run into the playoffs, the big change seems to be less about Wentz to Foles, and more about Golden Tate to Dallas Goedert. Goedert is a rookie tight end who compliments Zach Ertz well, similarly to when the team had Trey Burton last season.
However, as a rookie he has slowly filled into his role more than taken off into being a consistent helper. In the Eagles first 10 games he had only played over half of the offensive snaps three times.
However, over the Eagles last six games, in which the team had gone 5-1, he has played over half of the snaps in every game. The Eagles are 6-3 when he plays over half of the snaps and 3-4 when he does not.
It is because the offense is more volatile with him on the field. When he is not on the field, a pass is much more likely to come They throw the ball 67.5% of the time without Goedert. When Goedert is lined up at tight end, the run is more prevalent and they throw the ball just 52.5% of the time.
Despite so many less passes they have been so much more consistent. The Eagles have a 57.5% pass success rate with Goedert and a 47% success rate without him. Even their running game success improved from over 45% to over 47%.
No matter who you look at it, the offense is not only better with Goedert, it is better in every single are and facet of the game. The Bears have not faced many two tight end sets this season, so his impact will be major.