Philadelphia Eagles: Nelson Agholor, players to watch vs. Jaguars in Week 8

2. Jalen Mills

Another week of Eagles football and another week with our eyes focused on cornerback Jalen Mills. Early in the season, it was Mills getting beat on almost every double move he faced. More recently, Mills has shown improvement, but last week’s crucial mistake was one of the big reasons why the Eagles lost the game.

With 2:06 remaining and the Eagles holding onto a 21-17 lead, the Panthers had the ball. It was fourth-and-10 at their own 31-yard line. If the Eagles were able to stop the Panthers, it would basically have won the game for Philadelphia. But the Eagles weren’t able to get the stop, much like the one they needed in Tennessee to secure a win.

It was Mills who was beaten in coverage by former Eagle Torrey Smith. Smith was found by Cam Newton wide open in the middle of the field for the first down. The first down completion was bad enough, but then Smith was able to run by Eagles defenders for a large gain of 35 yards.

Watching the replay, it was clear to see that Mills was the cornerback who got beat. And while he held Smith to a relatively quiet day before that catch, it was upsetting to see that Mills was beat, yet again, on the biggest defensive play of the game.

This week, Mills won’t have to face off against any superstar receivers as the Jaguars have more of a receiver by committee approach. And who knows if starting quarterback Blake Bortles will even last the entire game.

This should be a game where Mills has success and we don’t have to worry about him getting burnt. If he can stay under the radar then the Eagles should be successful in stopping the Jaguars poor offense.