PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
OFFENSE
Nick Foles Johnny Unitas Jersey , QB (9), 6-foot-6, 243 pounds, 6th season, Arizona
Took over for Carson Wentz after Wentz tore his ACL in December against Rams. … Played first three seasons with Eagles before returning as free agent. … Became first QB in franchise history to throw for at least 300 yards and at least 3 TDs in playoff game with 352 yards, 3 TDs in NFC championship game.
LeGarrette Blount, RB (29), 6-0, 250, 8th season, Oregon
Won Super Bowls with Patriots after 2014, 2016 seasons. … Led NFL with career-high 18 rushing TDs in 2016. … Power runner who does best work near end zone.
Jay Ajayi, RB (36), 6-0, 223, 3rd season, Boise State
Acquired from Miami at trade deadline. … Became first player in NFL history to produce at least 400 rushing yards with two teams (465 yards, Miami, 408 yards, Philadelphia) in same season. … Was fourth in NFL in rushing in 2016 with 1,272 yards.
Alshon Jeffery, WR (17), 6-3, 218, 6th season, South Carolina
Led Eagles with 9 TD catches in regular season despite no 100-yard games. Only two receivers (DeAndre Hopkins, Devante Adams) had more. … Spent first five seasons with Bears. … Caught 5 passes for 85 yards and 2 TDs in NFC title game.
Nelson Agholor, WR (13), 6-0, 198, 3rd season, Southern Cal
First-round pick in 2015. … With 62 catches, 768 yards and 8 TDs, provides excellent complement to Jeffery in breakout season.
Torrey Smith, WR (82), 6-0, 205, 7th season, Maryland
Brings playoff experience to passing game. … Won Super Bowl 47 with Baltimore. … A deep threat.
Zach Ertz, TE (86), 6-5, 250, 5th season, Stanford
One of league’s best tight ends. Led team with 74 receptions and added 8 TDs. Had 8 catches for 93 yards in NFC championship game.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, LT (72), 6-6, 320, 2nd season, TCU
Fifth-round pick in 2016. Can play both tackle positions. … Replacing perennial Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters.
Stefen Wisniewski, LG (61), 6-3, 305, 7th season, Penn State
Originally second-round pick of Oakland in 2011. … Has played left guard and center. … His uncle, Steve Ryan Kelly Jersey , was two-time All-Pro selection at guard with L.A. Rams and Oakland Raiders.
Jason Kelce, C (62), 6-3, 295, 7th season, Cincinnati
Went from sixth-round pick in 2011 to first All-Pro selection this season. … Dominant part of run game, can handle DTs one on one.
Brandon Brooks, RG (79), 6-5, 335, 6th season, Miami, Ohio
Spent first four seasons with Texans. … Joined Eagles in 2016. … Selected for first Pro Bowl in 2017.
Lane Johnson, RT (65), 6-6, 317, 5th season, Oklahoma
Second All-Pro on offensive line. … Was No. 4 overall pick in 2013. … Suspended 10 games in 2016 for violating NFL’s performance-enhancers policy.
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DEFENSE
Chris Long, DE (56), 6-3, 270, 10th season, Virginia
Won Super Bowl last year with Patriots. … First season with Eagles. …. Had 5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in regular season and 8 QB pressures in NFC title game. … Similar performance could help Eagles pull upset in Super Bowl. … Second overall pick in 2008 draft by Rams. … Son of Hall of Fame DL Howie Long.
Fletcher Cox, DT (91), 6-4, 310, 6th season, Mississippi State
Three-time Pro Bowler. … Powerful force who’s second among Eagles interior linemen with 34 sacks. … Had season-high 7 tackles and sack of Falcons’ Matt Ryan in divisional playoff win against Atlanta.
Tim Jernigan, DT (93), 6-2, 295, 4th season, Florida State
Second-round pick of Ravens in 2014 was acquired in trade in April and provides depth on defensive line. … Signed four-year extension through 2021.
Brandon Graham, DE (55), 6-2, 265, 8th season, Michigan
Led Eagles with career-high 9+ sacks. … No. 13 pick in 2010 draft and longest-tenured member of Eagles defense. … Sacked Tom Brady twice when Eagles beat Patriots in previous meeting in 2015.
Derek Barnett, DE (96), 6-3, 259, 1st season, Tennessee
Had 5 sacks in rookie season. …. Had strip-sack of Case Keenum to halt Vikings’ red zone drive in NFC title game. … First-round pick last April.
Mychal Kendricks, LB (95), 6-0, 240, 6th season, Cal
Second on team with 77 tackles. … Has thrived under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. … Had team-high 10 tackles in NFC title game.
Dannell Ellerbe, LB (57), 6-1, 245, 9th season, Georgia
Won Super Bowl 47 with Baltimore. … Joined Eagles in November and became third middle linebacker after Jordan Hicks, Joe Walker sustained season-ending injuries. … Missed NFC title game with hamstring injury.
Nigel Bradham, LB (53) Peyton Manning Jersey , 6-2, 241, 6th season, Florida State
Acquired in trade with Buffalo in 2016. … Led all Eagles LBs with 99 tackles and had career-high 7 tackles for loss and tied for team lead with 2 forced fumbles in first season with Eagles.
Jalen Mills, CB (31), 6-0, 191, 2nd season, LSU
Seventh-round pick in 2016. Made key defensive play while guarding Julio Jones on fourth down to preserve 15-10 win over Falcons in divisional round.
Patrick Robinson, CB (21), 5-11, 191, 8th season, Florida State
First season with Eagles and led them with 4 interceptions in regular season. … Had spectacular 50-yard pick-6 against Vikings in NFC title game.
Ronald Darby, CB (41), 5-11, 193, 3rd season, Florida State
Missed eight
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Can the Tampa Bay Rays, the hottest team in baseball, finally get back to .500 for the season?
All that is stopping them Thursday are the American League West-leading and defending World Series champion Houston Astros, who come to Tropicana Field for a four-game series.
Tampa Bay (39-40) hasn’t just won five straight — its pitching owns a scoreless streak of 22 innings since Giancarlo Stanton homered off Vidal Nuno in Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees.
The Rays are on their fourth winning streak of at least five games this season and can reach .500 for the third time this season and first instance since they were 26-26 following a 1-0 win at Oakland on May 28.
And as well as the Rays are playing, holding opponents to one run or less eight times in their last 14 games, the Astros (54-28) are still 17-3 in their last 20 games. One of those losses, ending a 12-game win streak last week, was a 2-1 setback against these same Rays.
Tampa Bay began its relievers-as-starters experiment on May 19 and manager Kevin Cash calls them “openers.” Since then, the Rays have the lowest ERA in baseball at 2.87, edging the Yankees (2.96).
“The pitching’s been outstanding, keeping us in every single ballgame,” Cash told reporters. “It’s kind of how we’re built. We’ve got to take advantage of it when we get it. And we’re getting it here of late.”
A big part of Tampa Bay’s effectiveness is reliever-turned-opener Ryne Stanek (1-1, 1.99) who gets the ball first for the Rays on Thursday.
Stanek has been dominant in his unique role in June — 10 games, 13 innings, only four hits and no earned runs. He faced the Astros on back-to-back days last week, oddly enough as a starter and reliever, throwing a combined 2 2/3 innings of hitless, shutout baseball.
The Astros head to Tampa Bay after taking two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays. Houston closed out the series Wednesday afternoon when Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer in the ninth for a 7-6 win.
Bregman went 3-for-5 and was 9-for-14 with three homers against the Blue Jays.
“Bregman’s pretty locked in the last couple of days,” Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel told reporters. “That’s what he provides for our team, moments in the clutch.”
It will be a homecoming for Astros starter Lance McCullers (8-3, 3.82), who was born in Tampa and graduated from Tampa’s Jesuit High School. Still just 24, McCullers has already set a career high for wins and hasn’t taken a loss in his last five starts. Houston is 11-5 in his starts this season.
McCullers has pitched at Tropicana twice before, once each in 2015 and 2016, and each time, he’s allowed four earned runs in six innings for an 0-2 record and a 6.00 ERA in his career against the Rays.
The relievers-as-starters strategy is just part of Cash’s unconventional approach.
In Tuesday’s 1-0 win against the Nationals, Cash played a pitcher at first base for one out, shifting reliever Jose Alvarado to first to avoid having to make a situational pitching change. Chaz Roe got the out with Alvarado manning first (with a runner to hold no less), and while Alvarado gave up two hits in his return to the mound, Sergio Romo got the final outs and the Rays outdueled Max Scherzer for a memorable win.
This four-game series wraps up a daunting 16-game run for the Rays in which they had seven games each against the Astros and Yankees (and two against the Nationals). And yet, somehow, they’re 7-5 in those games with four remaining.
From there, the schedule eases up, as Tampa Bay goes on the road to face the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets. The Astros have two games at the Texas Rangers, but then close the first half of the season with 11 straight games at home before the All-Star break.
