National Football League

Peter Schrager's Cheat Sheet: Eagles might ride ground attack all the way to the playoffs

Updated Nov. 28, 2021 4:24 p.m. ET

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By Peter Schrager
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Welcome to the Week 12 edition of the Schrager Cheat Sheet.

Each week, I take a look at several things you need to know heading into the NFL weekend. 

This week, we look at whether the Philadelphia Eagles can ride their ground attack all the way to the postseason, what the future might hold for Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley, whether the Chiefs will keep winning with defense and more.

1. Fly, Eagles, fly

Three weeks ago, Eagles fans were going wild as Jalen Hurts led Philadelphia on a monumental drive, hitting DeVonta Smith for a game-tying touchdown with six minutes left against the Chargers.

Then the wind was sucked out of the building by Justin Herbert. The Chargers went on a 15-play, 65-yard drive that included two fourth-down conversions. Hurts, Smith and the Philadelphia offense never got back on the field. 

As the Eagles and their fans left the building that day, it was easy to say, "Well, there goes the season." Philadelphia was 3-6, the NFC was filled with contenders, and the Eagles had just lost their second straight game at The Linc.

'Philadelphia's improved run game and easy schedule have the Eagles flyin' high' — Peter Schrager I Cheat Sheet for Week 12

Peter Schrager breaks down why the Philadelphia Eagles are flying high with Jalen Hurts averaging 50-plus rush yards, an easy schedule and an upgraded offensive line.

Fast-forward just two weeks, and there couldn't be a more different sentiment coming out of the City of Brotherly Love. Hurts went from being a one-year starter to looking like the potential QB of the future, the running game went from an Achilles' heel and punchline to a strength of the team, and the head coach transformed from a curiosity into a favorite son to the faithful fans.

The Eagles have rattled off two straight impressive wins, and the feeling is that the best is yet to come. It's a combination of an offensive attack that suddenly has shifted into high gear and a schedule that is very favorable over the remainder of the season.

Let's start with the run game. This was the joke of the team and a punchline on Philly sports talk radio the first two months of the season. Remember, when Miles Sanders had a seemingly meaningless carry late in the third quarter of a Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the fans mockingly gave the offense a standing ovation. Sanders was being used so seldom that his mere touching of the ball warranted a sarcastic fan reaction.

Jalen Hurts says Eagles have "grown as a team" after win over Saints

After Philadelphia's Week 11 win over the New Orleans Saints, Jalen Hurts said the Eagles have "grown as a team."

Skip to Week 11, and the Eagles ran for a season-high 242 yards on Sunday against the Saints, who had the NFL's top run defense entering the weekend. That was the second straight week the Eagles rushed for 200 or more yards, as they gobbled up 216 yards on the ground versus the Broncos in Week 10. It was the first time since 1978 that a Philadelphia offense broke the 200-yard rushing mark in consecutive weeks. The running backs on that team? Wilbert Montgomery and Mike Hogan. Google those names!

We can highlight the backs and Hurts' ankle-breaking run skills, but it really does start up front. Philly might have the best offensive line in football, and its line coach, the great Jeff Stoutland, might very well be the best in the sport. On Sunday, left tackle Jordan Mailata was punishing Saints defenders (See his takedown of Marcus Davenport), Lane Johnson was pushing piles, Jason Kelce was running the unit like a point guard, and Jack Driscoll was playing the best football of his career. Stoutland has this line clicking, and the results are in the stat sheet.

Hurts is not going to beat you with his arm, but as he grows more comfortable in his first full season as a starter, he is maximizing what he can do when a play breaks down. He's among the best rushing quarterbacks in the league, and he's the first Eagles QB to run for 50 yards in five straight games since Randall Cunningham. 

This is a different brand of football than under Doug Pederson and with Carson Wentz at the switch. It's still smash mouth, but it's also razzle-dazzle when it has to be. Hurts' ankle-breaking run on poor Carl Granderson on Sunday was a message to the rest of the league.

But while it's a nice story, is this a .500 team that'll miss the playoffs? Will this ultimately be the same Eagles team we've seen in recent years when it's all said and done?

That's where the schedule comes into play.

Philadelphia — unlike many of the other teams in the hunt in the NFC — will not have to take another flight the rest of the way. The Eagles have six games left:

— Week 12: At Giants

— Week 13: At Jets

— Week 14: Home vs. Washington

— Week 15: Home vs. Giants

— Week 16: At Washington

— Week 17: Home vs. Cowboys

Find me a more favorable schedule.

Last week, the Eagles locked up some key veterans with long-term contract extensions. They've won two straight games and have the second-best rushing offense in the league. Add a schedule that includes five of six opponents with sub-.500 records and no plane rides the rest of the way?

We could be talking about the Eagles in January.

2. The Baker and Barkley conundrums

As Cleveland continues to grind out wins and losses in the thick of the AFC playoff picture, it's easy to fixate on the quarterback position and wonder what the Browns will do with Baker Mayfield moving forward.

The team decided to pick up his fifth-year option and pay him $18.858 million next season, but typically, a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall gets an extension before that bridge is even crossed. So what do you pay Baker? Is he worth Josh Allen money? Would he accept $25-$30 million when Dak Prescott and Wentz are making far more? Are the Browns willing to walk away and see what's behind Door No. 2? These are all questions that are likely keeping the Cleveland front office up at night.

Peter Schrager on whether the Browns will give Baker Mayfield an extension, Barkley's expectations in New York I Cheat Sheet for Week 12

Peter Schrager dives into whether the Cleveland Browns will pay Baker Mayfield a massive extension after the 2021-22 season. Plus, Schrager discusses whether Saquon Barkley has lived up to expectations with the New York Giants.

But I'm looking at a No. 2 overall pick and his future, too. What do the Giants do with Saquon Barkley moving forward? It's another lost Giants season this year, as they've fallen to 3-7 in an incredibly crowded NFC. In the 2018 draft, GM Dave Gettleman selected a running back with the second overall pick, and Barkley won Offensive Rookie of the Year out of the gate. He is a top jersey-seller, a league and fan favorite (he's in nearly as many commercials as Mayfield), and he's a great ambassador for the sport and team.

But he's currently 62nd in the league in rushing yards, with just 220 through six games, and he has played in only eight games the past two seasons. Has Barkley been worth the No. 2 overall pick? Objectively, no. Injuries and whatever else around him have already derailed that conversation. But is he not worth bringing back moving forward? What do you pay him? If Barkley were to hit the open market as a free agent, would another team be willing to pay him in the $13-$16 million range? Lastly, if Jamal Adams or Amari Cooper can fetch a first-round pick in a trade, could Saquon?

The Giants have a lot of decisions to sort out before the offseason. Those could include the futures of their quarterback, offensive coordinator, head coach and general manager. But Barkley's case is a fascinating one. I'll be watching closely.

3. The mighty Chiefs' ... defense?

I know the defenses of the 2006 Colts and 2011 Giants had great postseasons after morbid ends to the regular season, but I have no recollection of a defense turning things around midseason like the Kansas City Chiefs are doing this year. The Chiefs' defense couldn't catch a cold over the first six weeks of the season, and now it looks like the best unit in all of football.

'It's incredible what the Chiefs' defense is doing right now' — Peter Schrager I Cheat Sheet for Week 12

Peter Schrager explains why the Kansas City Chiefs' defense is stepping up in all the right ways to support Patrick Mahomes and the offense. "This defense is for real," he says. "Not a fluke."

What happened?

A lot of truth-telling.

Safety Juan Thornhill was inserted into the lineup for Daniel Sorensen, and that helped. Linebacker Melvin Ingram was acquired, and he has been a major impact player. And young guys such as Willie Gay and Nick Bolton have both stepped up at the linebacker position. Frank Clark is finally healthy and flying off the edge. Most importantly to the unit, Chris Jones came alive at the right time, erupting for 3.5 sacks against the top offense in the league Sunday. The unit has given up 13 points or fewer in four straight games, all of which have been wins.

This is a credit to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has withstood the criticism that has plagued his unit the past two seasons to now watch as it all comes together.

"I try not to go down the 'turnaround road,'" he told reporters prior to the win over the Cowboys. "The only reason I say this is that I don't want to turn it the other way.

"It feels better in the continuity realm," he said. "I'm trying to go back to where we've struggled a little bit. I know that in that period, Charvarius Ward was out. I remember [Chris Jones] has been dealing with the wrist for a long time. Melvin Ingram coming here, I think, has been a huge plus for us. [Frank Clark] was banged up."

Chris Jones on Chiefs' stellar defensive performance: 'We played lights-out'

Chiefs DL Chris Jones said the Kansas City defense played "lights-out" against the Cowboys.

Healthy, focused and honest with one another, the Chiefs' defense is playing better than the offense right now. In fact, the defense has been the engine leading the resurgence to a familiar lead-dog role in the AFC West.

You've got to imagine the offense will catch up and find itself at some point this season. And if it doesn't?

This team could still win games. That's a first for the Mahomes Era.

4. Lovie's Day

I can't help but tip my cap to longtime coach Lovie Smith for having as good a day as any defensive coordinator in the league last Sunday. No one's talking much about the Texans' win this week — it's been all about the Titans' loss. But here's a team that had lost nine straight games lacing up against the AFC's top seed, going into their building and absolutely suffocating an offense that had been humming the past few weeks.

The fact that Smith is the coordinator surprised some folks, who, even as we hit Thanksgiving, were not aware that he was back in the league and calling the shots for the undermanned Houston D. The box score says that the Texans' defense gave up 420 yards, but make no mistake, it was that unit that won Sunday's game in Tennessee. 

Houston picked off Ryan Tannehill four times, with three of the interceptions giving the Texans the ball deep in Titans territory. Houston went ahead early, and a lot of those yards allowed came in the second half, when the Texans went into "bend-but-don't-break" mode. When Houston needed a play most, it was Desmond King who picked off Tannehill to put the game away.

Peter Schrager: Houston D.C. Lovie Smith deserves some love I Cheat Sheet

Peter Schrager explains why defensive coordinator Lovie Smith deserves some credit for the Houston Texans' performance against the Tennessee Titans.

Smith is now 63 years old and unlikely to become an NFL head coach again. He has coached in Super Bowls, he has been the NFL's Coach of the Year, and he has called plays for countless Hall of Famers. I've got to think Sunday's win — just the Texans' second of the season — meant a lot for a guy who has been around the block and back in this league.

5. Colt McCoy, Mr. Seattle

The coolest factoid of the week didn't come from a FOX broadcast or a PFF tweet. It came from Arizona Cardinals PR man Mark Dalton, who let me know late Sunday night that McCoy is the only QB in the NFL with wins in Seattle in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. And yes, that includes the Seattle quarterbacks.

Peter Schrager praises Colt McCoy for keeping the Cardinals atop the NFC I Cheat Sheet for Week 12

Peter Schrager praises Colt McCoy for helping the Arizona Cardinals stay atop the NFC in QB Kyler Murray's absence.

Consider this: McCoy won in Seattle last year as a New York Giant in Week 13 and this year as a Cardinal in Week 11. Russell Wilson won seven games in Seattle last year but has yet to win one at home this season. Geno Smith, who won one earlier this year, did not notch any victories for Seattle a season ago.

Cool stat, Colt McCoy. It's fitting that he wears No. 12. He plays awfully well in the home of the 12th Man.

Peter Schrager is an NFL writer for FOX Sports and a host of "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network. 

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National Football League

Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts

Miles Sanders

DeVonta Smith

Jordan Mailata

Jason Kelce

Baker Mayfield

Cleveland Browns

Saquon Barkley

New York Giants

Kansas City Chiefs

Melvin Ingram

Frank Clark

Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans

Colt McCoy

Arizona Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks

Peter Schrager