Eagles vs. Jaguars predictions: Our writers pick a winner for the Week 5 game in London

Not that the Eagles’ 2-0 start was pretty, but that 2-0 start feels like it occurred eons ago.

The cast of characters for a thrilling victory over the Tennessee Titans less than three weeks ago included the likes of Lane Johnson, Cam Jurgens, Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith. Johnson and Jurgens are gone. Barkley and Smith are unlikely to suit up this week due to injury. And that’s before you get to the banged-up players on defense.

The Eagles travel to London to face the Jags this week (9:30 a.m. Sunday, 6abc and NFL Network) as heavy underdogs with lots of baggage, but we all know things rarely go according to plan in the NFL. Can Nick Sirianni and Co. quiet the naysayers? The Inquirer’s Eagles writers weighed in.

It has been hard to count Sirianni and the Eagles out when they have faced adversity in recent seasons.

But have they ever had a week like this? Johnson retired, Jurgens was traded, and the injury report is loaded with key players.

Combine those factors with how each of these teams are playing, and it’s hard to envision an Eagles victory across the pond.

» READ MORE: Jaguars say they aren’t dwelling on Eagles’ subtractions: ‘We play their scheme, not their players’

One team, the Jaguars, is among the league leaders with the fewest three-and-outs in the NFL. The other leads the NFL with 15 through four games.

A struggling offense now has a new-look and inexperienced offensive line protecting Jalen Hurts when protection has at times been an issue and run blocking has been inconsistent.

The Eagles are missing two-thirds of their backfield. They don’t have Smith. Where, exactly, are the points going to come from? Winning might take a few lucky bounces and perhaps a defensive or special teams touchdown.

Will the offense move the ball enough to give Vic Fangio’s defense enough time to catch its breath against a team that has scored 34 or more points twice already this season?

I’m skeptical. It’s hard to not be.

Prediction: Jaguars 23, Eagles 13

The injury report is bloated, as mentioned. They’re flying to London — and doing so less than 36 hours before kickoff.

The Eagles are going to lose to the Jaguars on Sunday. Book it.

I thought last week’s game against the Rams was as guaranteed of a loss as can be (and that wound up being true after they blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead).

» READ MORE: Three-and-outs, missed tackle rate, other numbers to know ahead of Eagles-Jaguars

Then came this distraction-filled week.

The Eagles weren’t doing too hot even before the distractions. The Birds are averaging just 6.2 yards per pass attempt, the seventh worst mark in the NFL. They had 68 net passing yards against Los Angeles, which was their lowest total in 23 years. Their run game has been stagnant — and projects to get even worse with Barkley and Tank Bigsby injured, plus an ever-changing offensive line structure.

Then there’s the defense, which carried the team until the very last drive last week. Put simply: They can’t tackle. The Eagles have the fourth-highest missed tackle rate (17.9%) in the NFL, according to Next Gen stats. Woof.

Combine all of this with the fact that they’re facing the 3-1 Jaguars, led by offensive guru Liam Coen and an improving Trevor Lawrence, and you can see why I’m pessimistic.

Enjoy the first few days of your trip to London, Eagles fans. Sunday’s going to be a messy one.

Prediction: Jaguars 24, Eagles 7

» READ MORE: If Jeff Stoutland was still the line coach, would Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens still be productive Eagles?

To say it’s been a whirlwind week for the Eagles would be an understatement.

The Eagles lost in dramatic fashion to the Rams on Sunday. Johnson announced his retirement on Tuesday. Jurgens was traded on Wednesday. Plus, the team is banged up, with Barkley and Smith seeming unlikely to play this week.

On top of all that, the Eagles must now take a six-hour flight to London to face the 3-1 Jaguars.

The odds are stacked against them this week. The offense has plenty to correct coming off an inefficient performance, particularly on third down, going 0-for-12 on their attempts. The Eagles struggled to pick up the Rams blitz, especially on those third downs, as Hurts was blitzed on all but one of those drop backs, per Next Gen Stats. The Rams generated six pressures and a sack on those third-down blitzes.

Until the Eagles can fix their woes against the blitz, they should expect to see more of it. They also will continue to seek to establish an identity, which will be all the more difficult against a stellar Jaguars defense which ranks second in the league in points allowed.

The sky isn’t falling yet for the Eagles, but it’s difficult to envision them rebounding this week against the Jaguars.

Prediction: Jaguars 28, Eagles 17

Listen to the latest episode

Different year, different offensive coordinator, yet still, it feels like Déjà vu all over again. The Eagles had little margin for error Sunday vs. the Rams because of injuries. They played hard despite being shorthanded, but in the end, couldn’t put the Rams away, mainly because of poor execution on offense. Why hasn’t Sean Mannion's scheme clicked? How culpable are head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts in the offensive rut the Eagles find themselves in? The Inquirer's Jeff McLane and David Murphy analyze the fallout from the 24-20 loss to L.A. Listen here.

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