The Eagles Are Ready For The Well Rested Rams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles suffered a loss to the 49ers last Sunday in a physical contest in San Francisco. Their opponents for this week were sitting at home resting.
The St. Louis Rams will come to town with a 1-2 after enjoying their bye week. Teams coming off a bye often perform well after getting a week off from the rigors of the NFL schedule. However, Eagles Quarterback Nick Foles is confident they will still be ready for the rested Rams.
"It just is going to come down to us working and doing our thing," said Foles. "They're going to want to recover throughout a bye week, but we're going to be ready to go. We're watching the film and studying just like they are, and we're going to be ready to go."
The Rams will be using their third quarterback in four games. Austin Davis will be under center on Sunday when the Rams battle the Eagles at the Linc. Davis took over for Shaun Hill one week after Hill replaced Sam Bradford, who suffered a season-ending knee injury. Chip Kelly has been impressed with what he's seen of Davis on film.
"Really quick release," Kelly said. "He's completing a high percentage of his passes. It seems like he's got a real good knowledge of what they're doing. The thing that impresses you on tape is that he doesn't force the ball."
The Eagles will also be dealing with a potent Rams running game. Running back Zac Stacy has rushed for 181 yards this season, and Kelly has been familiar with Stacy's talent ever since his college days.
"We liked Zac coming out of Vanderbilt," said Kelly. "I think he's a very productive, tough, hard-nosed, physical runner. They're going to run the football."
No matter what the Rams do on offense, the Eagles know their offensive production must improve from last week's rough outing in San Francisco. Wide Receiver Riley Cooper took responsibility for not coming up with a fourth quarter catch. He said the offense has put last week's game in the rear-view mirror and is focused on executing this Sunday.
"Guys are wanting to get a fast start," Cooper said. "Everyone's wanting to get this thing going, because we are an elite offense. We're doing a lot of things right, but we just want to start firing on all cylinders."
Cornerback Brandon Boykin returned to practice on Thursday after missing time with a hamstring injury. Boykin is hoping to be able to play on Sunday. Mychal Kendricks remains sidelined with a calf injury.
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