Players to watch and final score prediction

Doug Pederson’s job is on the line and he needs wins. The Eagles are doing it too if they want to keep pace with the Washington Commanders in the NFC East.

More on Sunday’s game (4:05/CBS).

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Isaiah Rogers. This is where the depth that GM Howie Roseman built this offseason should pay off. With Darius Slay missing the game with a groin injury, it was encouraging to see Rodgers throw deep to Ja’Marr Chase in last week’s win over the Bengals, deflecting the ball away and into the safe hands of C.J. Gardner-Johnson for an interception.

“I approach it the same way I approach any other week,” Rogers said. “I’m not going to exaggerate this point. It’s not about me, it’s about the team. At the end of the day, Slay is our captain, Slay is our starter. I’m just going to go out there and try to play as much as he does.”

Jalen Hurts. The quarterback has gone three games in a row without a loss and has scored nine touchdowns during that time. He must be so good again against the Jags pass defense, which is one of the worst in the league and ranks 31st overall. He is the only quarterback in the NFL with nine touchdowns and no turnovers since Week 6.

AJ Brown. He leads the team in receiving yards (408) despite missing three games, and has 21 catches for a 19.4 yards per catch average, keeping him on pace with his career high of 20.2 yards per catch , which he had in his rookie year. 2019 season with the Titans. His 102 yards per game average is second best in the league behind Nico Collins’ 113.4.

Jalen Carter. The sophomore DT is tied with Josh Sweat for the team lead in sacks with three. He ranks third in passer rating (85.5) among interior linemen, behind Chris Jones (91.2) and Cameron Heyward (86.8), according to Pro Football Focus.

Cooper DeJean. Why? Because his development was fascinating to watch, and the stop he made on Ja’Marr Chase’s fourth-down throw was a sight to behold as he followed Chase back and forth as Chase moved.

“Just watching my guy,” DeJean said of the play he directed. “When you’re one-on-one and a guy moves, there’s always a chance he could come back, you know?

“So I’m just trying to keep an eye on it and be able to work through the traffic to get over the top. And luckily Isaiah, who was playing secretly with his man, allowed me to stand behind him and be able to come down to play.”

QUESTIONS

– Can the Eagles extend their winning streak to four and improve to 6-2 in two division games — the Cowboys on Nov. 10 and the Commanders on Nov. 14 — with a four-day wait on the other side?

-Can Doug Pederson beat the organization he led and win the Super Bowl? In his time with the Jags, he is 0-1 against Philadelphia.

– Can the Eagles win the turnover battle for the second week in a row after stealing the ball from the Bengals twice and not giving it back last week?

FORECAST

My elections are not going well, so take this with a grain of salt. Yes, the Cowboys are waiting on the other side of the Eagles, it may be a so-called trap game, but this is only their third game at Lincoln Financial Field this season, where they are 1-1, and they need to prepare at home, to win. division.

Eagles 29, Jaguars 23.

Season record: 2-5.

More NFL: Doug Pederson on his second return to the organization he led to glory.