Jets at Eagles
THE STORY: Last week, the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles soundly defeated their adversaries, causing the latter clubs to promptly fire their respective coaches the next day. The Jets recorded their third straight win and sixth in eight games with a lopsided 37-10 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs. The setback spelled the end of Todd Haley's two-plus years at the helm in Kansas City. For their part, the Eagles posted just their second triumph in six weeks with a 26-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins. As a result, the defeat effectively ended Tony Sparano's time in the sun in South Beach. Now, Philadelphia returns home where it has won only one of six of its games this season. In addition, the Eagles could be eliminated should the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday and the New York Giants trump the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon.
TV: CBS, 4:15 p.m. ET. LINE: Eagles -1, O/U 43.5
ABOUT THE JETS (8-5): Despite lofty preseason expectations, New York's quest for the elusive AFC East title will likely come to an end. They trail first-place New England by two games, with the Patriots owning the tiebreaker to boot. Don't look now, but QB Mark Sanchez seems be ready to make another postseason surge. After looking nothing more than pedestrian over the first 10 games of the season, Sanchez has collected seven touchdowns against one interception during the winning streak. RB Shonn Greene is also headed in the right direction, scoring four touchdowns in the last two contests.
ABOUT THE EAGLES (5-8): With his next touchdown, RB LeSean McCoy will tie Steve Van Buren for the franchise record (18) – but he won't have the fast track to get there. The Jets have allowed only one 100-yard rusher in their last eight games. QB Michael Vick, who returned after a three-game absence with broken ribs, will look to exploit a Jets secondary that lost S Jim Leonhard to a season-ending knee injury last week. The seven-year veteran will likely be replaced by Brodney Pool.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The Eagles have won all eight meetings with the Jets, including a 16-9 decision in their most recent outing on Oct. 14, 2007.
2. Jets WR Santonio Holmes has three touchdowns in as many games.
3. Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin has been limited in practice as he nurses a hamstring injury. He is expected to play on Sunday.