Eagles are California-dreamin’ for a 3-1 start…

It won’t be easy because anytime you are facing off against future HOF’er Phil Rivers most days your shot is 50-50 at best…

One good thing that Dave Spadaro at PE.com points out:

“This time the Eagles are playing at the StubHub Center, with a capacity of 27,000 fans. Eagles fans will dominate this venue. Sunday will have a home-game feel for the E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES (you’re going to hear a lot of that during the game)!”

At least it looks like MLB Jordan Hicks will be active against the Chargers. Fortunately, Hicks was a full-go for Wednesday’s practice. It looks like the gimpy ankle is responding to treatment. That’s a real plus, because Hicks has shown enough quickness and intelligence in his tenure here to be capable of neutralizing much of the quick-release stuff that Rivers is going to unleash upon us.

Hicks waxed philosophical about the matchup challenges coming up against Rivers:

“Every team in this league is good and you think about the Chargers, obviously they’re 0-3, but every single game that they’ve lost they’ve had chances to go up late or to win the game,” Hicks said. “They’re a very dangerous team and I think it’s about perspective. I think you have a mentality every week that any given moment the play you’re in currently can be the difference in the game and you’ve just got to continue to prepare the same way to go out there and just play football.”

I think that’s the Phil Rivers factor summed up in a few words—at any given moment he can out-think you and engineer a big play or a score based upon your lack of knowledge of quantum physics.

Hicks is counting on the Eagles’ depth at linebacker just in case he is not 100% on Sunday:

“That’s what great teams have is depth. Injuries are going to happen in this game and when your guys a little bit further down the line can come in and make big plays for you, I think about Joe Walker making that fourth-down stop [against the Giants], coming in and playing well. Obviously, Nigel (Bradham)… Linebackers having to move around and be in positions where they’re unfamiliar… When you have a team that can do that and you have guys that can do that, it can make up for a lot of errors. It can make up a lot of room for just missing guys due to injury.”

It’s gonna be a 4:05 EST game this Sunday with a national feed on FOX.

Here are the main obstacles facing the Eagles against the Chargers according to Ricky Henne, managing editor for Chargers.com:

“The defensive line is one of the best in the NFL, presenting a major challenge for offensive tackles. After all, how do you stop Melvin Ingram on one side with Joey Bosa coming off the other edge? You can’t chip both sides, so it’s pick your poison between Ingram, who ranks second in the league with 5.5 sacks on the season, and Bosa, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Jatavis Brown has been active over the first three weeks leading the NFL with 36 tackles. In the secondary, despite losing Pro Bowl cornerback Jason Verrett, the team still has another Pro Bowl cornerback in Casey Hayward. He led the NFL with seven interceptions last year, but is still looking for his first of 2017.”

Okay, Eagles offense, you are viewing the tape and you know what is coming.

Besides Rivers at QB, the Chargers have another X-Factor:

“It is Tyrell Williams. With so many playmakers like Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, Hunter Henry, Melvin Gordon and so on for Philip Rivers to target, the 6-4, 205-pound Williams can oftentimes fly under the radar. That would be a mistake, as the third-year wideout is fresh off a 69-catch, 1,059-yard season in 2016. Not only does the Western Oregon product boast a big frame, but he has 4.4 speed that presents a rare size-speed mismatch for cornerbacks. If you ignore him, he’ll make you pay. Kansas City made sure to eliminate his big-play ability a week ago as they had Marcus Peters shadow Williams for most of the day.”

Also the Eagles defense must look for L.A. to feed Melvin Gordon on a consistent basis. The running back missed most of the second half with a sore knee against the Chiefs, but was off to a strong start after rushing for 55 yards in the first quarter. The Pro Bowl running back has found the end zone in each Chargers game this season.

By the way, Week 3 is in the books for BRISUKSEGG Fantasy Football here—