Eagles Wake-Up Call: Jets Scouting Report

Malcolm Jenkins didn’t mince words.

“This isn’t the Jets that you saw last year,” the safety said. “This is a team that’s well-coached, they have a plan and they execute well.”

After struggling in the first two weeks of the season, the Eagles travel to play the Jets on Sunday. New York, on the other hand, is off to their best start since 2011 with two quick wins.

Because the Eagles wrapped up reviewing film from the Cowboys game and moved on to the Jets, we asked several players and coaches what they’ve seen so far when studying New York’s tape.

OFFENSE

Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick: “He’s in a great fit scheme‑wise for himself. Him and [Jets offensive coordinator] Chan [Gailey] know each other very well, they know the system, they know each other’s strengths. We’ve seen that in two weeks now, that they are a lot of empty, they are a lot of high efficiency throws, strong run game, and he is just a scrapper.”

Davis on wide receiver Brandon Marshall: “You have to mix it so you have the proper match up, or your zones have to give a little bit more attention to his side. Your mans have to give a little bit more body help with two guys on him instead of one. They do a great job of moving him around a little bit. He’s a big run‑after‑catch guy, more than you think. He’s such a big, strong guy. He muscles up and makes the catch, and then he’s a tough tackle. He is absolutely the primary weapon in this offense in the passing game. They do a lot of empty sets and you’ve got to find him, and then kind of mix in the zone, the man and then the pressures.”

Cornerback Nolan Carroll on the receivers in general: “They have a lot of empty formations. They try to get mismatches on linebackers a lot and exploit that. They like to get Brandon Marshall the ball a lot and Eric Decker in the slot—they like to have those guys working inside there.”

Nose tackle Bennie Logan on their offensive line: “They’re a zone team. They do a really good job with the inside split zone. They’re going to come out and establish the run and work the passing game off that.”

DEFENSE

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur on their defensive line: “They are very good pass rushers. They are big, sturdy guys, and they are sort of one‑gap players, but they are thick, so they can almost appear as two‑gap at times.”

Right tackle Lane Johnson on their defensive line and linebackers: “The Jets have a really good front seven. Usually they’ll stack the box and they have really good players like Muhammad Wilkerson. The outside linebackers are good rush guys, as well.”

Wide receiver Jordan Matthews on their secondary: “They’re very aggressive. They’re great in press. They’re balanced across the board in the secondary.”

WHAT YOU MISSED

Breaking down key plays from the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.

“It will be hard for him to get back.” T-Mac has injury updates on Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks.

Adam checked in on the Eagles’ offseason departures, including a pair of struggling offensive linemen.

“It’s hurting us on the offensive side of the ball.” Wide receivers haven’t been blameless in the Eagles’ 0-2 start.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

The Eagles’ defensive depth will be tested on Sunday, Reuben Frank writes.

Safety Malcolm Jenkins suggested that the Eagles will be OK in base with [DeMeco] Ryans, [Jordan] Hicks and [Najee] Goode rotating, but they’ll have to get creative on clear passing downs.

“I think the encouraging thing is that Jordan Hicks came in and played really well, everybody’s comfortable with DeMeco playing, so I don’t think we lose much when we play base,” Jenkins said.

Bob Brookover says only Chip Kelly can fix the Eagles after two dismal games.

Now, the Eagles are headed back to the Meadowlands for a Week 3 game Sunday against the New York Jets. They are a mess and their coach knows it. It is hard to believe that Kelly could be this wrong about his personnel. It is hard to believe, with the trio of DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, that the Eagles will struggle all season to run the football.

Of course, it’s also hard to believe that the Eagles are 0-2 and look as lost as any team in the NFL.

COMING UP

Chip will speak to the media at 10:50 a.m.

Adam Hermann contributed to this post.