Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Reasons Preseason Game vs. the Jets Should Matter

The Philadelphia Eagles' Week 4 preseason matchup against the New York Jets might be more interesting than most preseason games.

Preseason football holds unique value, as it signals the start of the NFL campaign. Fans get a look at how good their team might be, and position battles are settled for the most part.

However, fans won’t get a chance to see much of the Eagles' starting lineup in Week 4. In fact, it wouldn't be a surprise if we didn't see any of Philadelphia’s skill players.

That being said, there is still a lot of value in this game.

Besides sharing similar colors, both teams still look to be playoff contenders ahead of the upcoming season.

With the preseason wrapping up, let’s take a look at three reasons why this game will matter for Eagles fans everywhere.

Who's Going to Be the Eagles Backup Quarterback?

The anticipation surrounding Michael Vick and how he’ll play each season is always through the roof. The unfortunate fact is he probably won’t get the chance to play for the entire season.

If Michael Vick is injured, it could all but lead to the end of the club's 2012-13 campaign. However, if the Eagles are able to come up with a legitimate backup quarterback, they could solve this problem.

Looking back on Philadelphia’s last 10 seasons, it’s easy to see how the backup quarterback can be so crucial.

In 2002, A.J. Feeley and Koy Detmer won five of the last six games of the regular season to get the Eagles into the playoffs.

In 2006, Feeley and Jeff Garcia combined to win five of the last seven regular-season games to put Philadelphia into the postseason.

More recently, Kevin Kolb’s success in 2010 led to a trade with the Arizona Cardinals.

Trent Edwards’ solid play in the first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers added more drama to backup quarterback competition. He turned what was a two-quarterback race for the backup role—between Nick Foles and Mike Kafka—into a three-quarterback race.

Kafka, who was expected to impress, threw an interception in only nine attempts and never really got going. Foles, on the other hand, was both effective and efficient. His 10 passing attempts netted him two touchdowns and 144 yards.

Look for all three of these quarterbacks to get around the same amount of playing time against the Jets as Philadelphia tries to figure out who this season’s backup quarterback will be.

How Sharp Will the Eagles Look?

With only a few weeks until the regular season starts, the last few stages of preseason football should give some sort of indication as to how sharp the Eagles are.

Starters don’t have to be playing for people to get a look at what a team is trying to accomplish. It’s easy to see if everybody is executing the plays well and if they are accountable for their jobs, but there are smaller, yet equally important things to take note of.

How smoothly are players getting on and off the field? Is everybody getting along on the sidelines? How badly was the team affected by injuries?

A healthy team is an obvious advantage, but so are substitutions and team chemistry. Making sure that the right players are on the field at the right time helps to avoid mistakes and enhances production.

Chemistry is also an easy one—a good team is generally one that likes playing together.

The Eagles and Jets have played each other in the last game of the preseason every year since 2001. Last year, the Eagles won for the first time since the 2001 season. There may not be much stock in a preseason record, but it’s always nice to go into the regular season with a win.

Philadelphia’s last preseason game will give fans an opportunity to see where the Eagles are at in these particular areas, and it will give the team another shot to beat the Jets in preseason play.

Eagles Fans Will Get a Chance to See Where the Jets Quarterback Drama Starts

That’s right—where the quarterback drama will start.

Anybody that has been paying attention to the New York Jets quarterback situation knows that it is anything but stable. They also need to know that it is only the beginning.

Mark Sanchez must feel some kind of relief when he takes the field. Sure, his play hasn't been steady or strong, but at least he wears a helmet when he’s on the field. On the sidelines, Sanchez looks like a member of a soap opera. There appears to be visible pain on his face and it has to be because of how the Jets brought in Tim Tebow as his backup.

Philadelphia fans get a front-row seat to Mark Sanchez’s version of The Young and the Restless as the game is being played in Philadelphia.

Tim Tebow isn't thriving, either. However, he tends to step up to the occasion when the time comes. He’s notorious for being a big-time performer, something that can’t feel good for Sanchez. Could Eagles fans be in for another heroic late play from Tebow that leaves people wondering whether Tebow should start?

Who knows, but being at the game would be a good start.