The 5-6 Dallas Cowboys' current three-game free-fall including Thursday's 29-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers has set the stage for the 9-1 Philadelphia Eagles to inch all that much closer to the NFC East Division title with a win at home against the 3-7 Chicago Bears this Sunday afternoon. If the Eagles can nail down their 10th victory of the season as heavy home favorites, they would clinch the division with one more Dallas loss. This could come as quickly as next Thursday with the Cowboys playing host to the 5-6 Washington Redskins on Thursday Night Football.
Even if Philly stumbles against Chicago and Dallas stays alive by beating the Redskins, it is still a foregone conclusion that the Eagles will lay claim to their first NFC East title since 2013. Clinching the East in Week 13 would be great but this team wants more! The loyal, die-hard fans in Philly want more! All the new faces on the 'standing room only' Philadelphia bandwagon want more!
With the Eagles getting quite a bit of national attention behind the play of second-year phenom Carson Wentz at quarterback, the Oddsmakers in Las Vegas expect much more from our beloved Birds than a division title with the them penciled in as favorites at most of the books in town to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Standing in their way are teams such as the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings, who ran all over Detroit on Thanksgiving Day to remain a half game off the pace in the NFC. The 8-2 New Orleans Saints are riding an eight-game winning streak into this Sunday's showdown against the 7-3 Los Angeles Rams. It is pretty safe to assume that two of the top four teams in the conference heading into the stretch run of the regular season will eventually tee it up against one another on Sunday. Jan. 21 in the NFC Championship Game.
I am banking on Philadelphia hosting that game against the Saints, but for now all my energy is going into this Sunday's home game against the Bears.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Friday, November 17, 2017
Eagles Favored to Fly High in Big D
The 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles come off last week's bye with the best record in the NFL and a three-game lead in the NFC East. They have a golden opportunity to extend that lead over one of their most bitter rivals this Sunday night with a trip to Dallas to tangle with the 5-4 Cowboys. This will be the first meeting this season with Round 2 set for the final Sunday of the NFL regular season.
The Eagles are considered to be the best all-round team in the league in any number of NFL power rankings behind an offense that is ranked fourth in the league in yards gained and second in scoring with an average of 31.4 points per game. On the other side of the ball, Philly is 10th in the NFL in yards allowed and first against the run. This defense is also tied for fourth in interceptions (11) as part of its 16 takeaways in its first nine games.
Dallas is coming off a stunning 27-7 loss to Atlanta on the road last Sunday in the first of its six games without All Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott in the lineup due to his current league suspension. His absence against the Falcons directly impacted second-year quarterback Dak Prescott, who was sacked eight times in that game after getting taken to the turf a total of 10 times in his first eight starts this year. Adding to the Cowboys' injury woes heading into this crucial division showdown is the loss of linebacker Sean Lee, who has been a thorn in the side of the Eagles on a number of occasions.
The general consensus among NFL fans in this matchup leans heavily towards the Eagles running their current winning streak to eight games while putting a serious dent in the Cowboys' chances for a return trip to the playoffs. You know that I am also leaning heavily towards the Birds flying high in prime time on Sunday night. If you want to see my complete game preview and official NFL prediction for Sunday night's tilt, please check out the link below at SportsBettingStats.com.
LINK: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS- FREE NFL PREDICTION
The Eagles are considered to be the best all-round team in the league in any number of NFL power rankings behind an offense that is ranked fourth in the league in yards gained and second in scoring with an average of 31.4 points per game. On the other side of the ball, Philly is 10th in the NFL in yards allowed and first against the run. This defense is also tied for fourth in interceptions (11) as part of its 16 takeaways in its first nine games.
Dallas is coming off a stunning 27-7 loss to Atlanta on the road last Sunday in the first of its six games without All Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott in the lineup due to his current league suspension. His absence against the Falcons directly impacted second-year quarterback Dak Prescott, who was sacked eight times in that game after getting taken to the turf a total of 10 times in his first eight starts this year. Adding to the Cowboys' injury woes heading into this crucial division showdown is the loss of linebacker Sean Lee, who has been a thorn in the side of the Eagles on a number of occasions.
The general consensus among NFL fans in this matchup leans heavily towards the Eagles running their current winning streak to eight games while putting a serious dent in the Cowboys' chances for a return trip to the playoffs. You know that I am also leaning heavily towards the Birds flying high in prime time on Sunday night. If you want to see my complete game preview and official NFL prediction for Sunday night's tilt, please check out the link below at SportsBettingStats.com.
LINK: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS- FREE NFL PREDICTION
Saturday, November 11, 2017
How Far Can the Philadelphia Eagles Go this Season?
Sitting at 8-1 through their first nine games while taking in some much needed rest during their bye week, the Philadelphia Eagles have not only captured the full attention of their rabid fan base in the City of Brotherly Love, they are now playing to a national stage as the top -ranked team in the league according to numerous NFL power ranking polls.
On one hand, some could feel that this early and unexpected success might be a case of too much, too soon. There are some actual concerns among a few NFL so-called experts (that shall remain nameless) that Philly is peaking too early in the season. In the famous words of former Eagles’ cornerback Herm Edwards “You play to win the game”! I guess these same football geniuses would feel better if the Birds would have dropped a few more of those first nine games so they would have more to shoot for in the second half of the season. Yea, I would much rather be in the 5-3 Cowboys or the 4-4 Redskins’ shoes of being a few games back in the chase for this season’s NFC East title.
Moving on, I am already giving Philly the division title at 13-3 or possibly even 14-2. Looking at the current standings in the NFC, this should also give the Birds a first round bye in the playoffs. Dallas went 13-3 last season as the top seed in the conference and then promptly lost to Green Bay at home in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. This only goes to prove that an impressive record in the regular season only gets you a primo spot in the dance. It does not guarantee that you are going home with the trophy.
Right now it looks like Philadelphia might have to face a team like Seattle, Minnesota or New Orleans in this season’s second round. All three games are winnable on its home field, although I would be a bit leery about facing the Saints given their current form.
Being the home-town fan that I am, I will go ahead and advance the Eagles to the NFC Championship either at home or on the road. The other big surprise in the NFC this season has been the Los Angeles Rams at 6-2 through their first eight games. There is a chance that we could see a rematch of the 2001 NFC title game in which the Rams squeaked out a 29-24 victory on their way to a Super Bowl title with our buddy Dick Vermeil at the helm as head coach.
The current standings in the NFC heading into Week 10 are filled with any number of playoff scenarios given the fact that there are seven teams with a winning record and four more at an even .500 at 4-4. Regardless of which of these teams the Eagles face in the conference title game, I am putting on my homer mask again to predict that they will get to the Super Bowl in Doug Pederson’s first playoff run as head coach. It took his mentor five tries in the postseason to get to the big game, but Andy Reid did not have Carson Wentz as his quarterback.
The Eagles have gone to two Super Bowls in franchise history with losses to Oakland in the 1980 season and to New England following a 13-3 run through the 2004 season. While there is a very good chance that Philly could draw the Patriots again in Super Bowl LII this February, I am going with a flair for the dramatic by predicting an in-state showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be cool to see the Eagles get another shot at Reid’s Chiefs in the biggest game of the year, but I do not see Kansas City advancing out of the gauntlet that both New England and Pittsburgh present in the AFC.
This epic Hollywood plot would star Big Ben as the grizzled veteran gunslinger trying to take down the new kid in the Keystone State in what could very well be the last game of his highly successful NFL career. The plot thickens in light of the fact that this new gunslinger from Wenztlvania via the great state of North Dakota is obviously stronger, sharper and quicker to the draw then his counterpart 300 miles to the west on I76.
It is far too early in the movie to reveal how everything does play out in this ultimate dream showdown, but this blog post should officially serve notice that I am ‘All In’ when it comes to the question of how far Philly can go this season.
On one hand, some could feel that this early and unexpected success might be a case of too much, too soon. There are some actual concerns among a few NFL so-called experts (that shall remain nameless) that Philly is peaking too early in the season. In the famous words of former Eagles’ cornerback Herm Edwards “You play to win the game”! I guess these same football geniuses would feel better if the Birds would have dropped a few more of those first nine games so they would have more to shoot for in the second half of the season. Yea, I would much rather be in the 5-3 Cowboys or the 4-4 Redskins’ shoes of being a few games back in the chase for this season’s NFC East title.
Moving on, I am already giving Philly the division title at 13-3 or possibly even 14-2. Looking at the current standings in the NFC, this should also give the Birds a first round bye in the playoffs. Dallas went 13-3 last season as the top seed in the conference and then promptly lost to Green Bay at home in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. This only goes to prove that an impressive record in the regular season only gets you a primo spot in the dance. It does not guarantee that you are going home with the trophy.
Right now it looks like Philadelphia might have to face a team like Seattle, Minnesota or New Orleans in this season’s second round. All three games are winnable on its home field, although I would be a bit leery about facing the Saints given their current form.
Being the home-town fan that I am, I will go ahead and advance the Eagles to the NFC Championship either at home or on the road. The other big surprise in the NFC this season has been the Los Angeles Rams at 6-2 through their first eight games. There is a chance that we could see a rematch of the 2001 NFC title game in which the Rams squeaked out a 29-24 victory on their way to a Super Bowl title with our buddy Dick Vermeil at the helm as head coach.
The current standings in the NFC heading into Week 10 are filled with any number of playoff scenarios given the fact that there are seven teams with a winning record and four more at an even .500 at 4-4. Regardless of which of these teams the Eagles face in the conference title game, I am putting on my homer mask again to predict that they will get to the Super Bowl in Doug Pederson’s first playoff run as head coach. It took his mentor five tries in the postseason to get to the big game, but Andy Reid did not have Carson Wentz as his quarterback.
The Eagles have gone to two Super Bowls in franchise history with losses to Oakland in the 1980 season and to New England following a 13-3 run through the 2004 season. While there is a very good chance that Philly could draw the Patriots again in Super Bowl LII this February, I am going with a flair for the dramatic by predicting an in-state showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be cool to see the Eagles get another shot at Reid’s Chiefs in the biggest game of the year, but I do not see Kansas City advancing out of the gauntlet that both New England and Pittsburgh present in the AFC.
This epic Hollywood plot would star Big Ben as the grizzled veteran gunslinger trying to take down the new kid in the Keystone State in what could very well be the last game of his highly successful NFL career. The plot thickens in light of the fact that this new gunslinger from Wenztlvania via the great state of North Dakota is obviously stronger, sharper and quicker to the draw then his counterpart 300 miles to the west on I76.
It is far too early in the movie to reveal how everything does play out in this ultimate dream showdown, but this blog post should officially serve notice that I am ‘All In’ when it comes to the question of how far Philly can go this season.
Friday, November 3, 2017
Eagles Go All-In for a Run at a Super Bowl Title
Most football experts had Philadelphia finishing third in the NFC East this season with slight move upward to 8-8 after winning seven games last season in Doug Pederson’s first year as head coach and Carson Wentz’s rookie year as the team’s new starting quarterback.
Flash forward to this Sunday’s home game against Denver as solid favorites, the 7-1 Eagles have rapidly accelerated the program with a chance to match that projected win total in Week 9. Pederson has shown the right temperament to reach all of his players, while building a coaching staff that knows how to do their job. Philly is firing on all cylinders in every phase of the game as the most balanced team in the NFL.
How far this current ride lasts is anyone’s guess, but with the best record in the NFL the Eagles control their own destiny when it comes to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Home field throughout the postseason is the quickest and easiest route to earn a trip to the Super Bowl, but there is still quite a bit of work to be done to turn this dream into reality.
One of the main reasons for this rapid reversal in fortunes is the Eagles’ front office led by team vice president Howie Roseman with the financial support from team owner Jeff Lurie. The fact that Carson Wentz is playing like a 10-year veteran also helps along with Jim Schwartz’s shutdown defense and some of the best special teams play in the league under the direction of Dave Fripp.
Even the best quarterback in the NFL cannot reach his potential without having the right personnel to run the ball, catch his passes and protect him in the pocket. A top-notch coaching staff can only squeeze so much out of their players. The biggest reason why teams win Super Bowls in the NFL is talent across the board. This starts with the NFL Draft to build depth through the ranks. It continues with the right free agent signings to fill the right holes and lately in the league it revolves around a few key trades here and there to push a team even further towards the ultimate goal of winning a word title.
The Eagles’ front office has excelled in all three of these categories since Philly beat Dallas in the last game of the 2016 season and it is starting to pay some huge dividends in the team’s performance through the first half of this year’s campaign.
The recent addition of running back Jay Ajayi proves the point. This guy ran for over 1,200 yards last season in Miami and he comes to the Eagles with 465 yards rushing in seven games this year. LeGarrette Blount was brought in as a free agent to get the Birds’ ground game back on track and heading into Sunday’s game against the Broncos, the offense was ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing with an average of 129.2 yards per game.
The prevailing attitude among every member of this organization that good is not good enough is another big reason why the Eagles have gone all-in to make that improbable run from the bottom of the division last year to the best team in the NFL at the halfway point of the 2017 season.
Flash forward to this Sunday’s home game against Denver as solid favorites, the 7-1 Eagles have rapidly accelerated the program with a chance to match that projected win total in Week 9. Pederson has shown the right temperament to reach all of his players, while building a coaching staff that knows how to do their job. Philly is firing on all cylinders in every phase of the game as the most balanced team in the NFL.
How far this current ride lasts is anyone’s guess, but with the best record in the NFL the Eagles control their own destiny when it comes to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Home field throughout the postseason is the quickest and easiest route to earn a trip to the Super Bowl, but there is still quite a bit of work to be done to turn this dream into reality.
One of the main reasons for this rapid reversal in fortunes is the Eagles’ front office led by team vice president Howie Roseman with the financial support from team owner Jeff Lurie. The fact that Carson Wentz is playing like a 10-year veteran also helps along with Jim Schwartz’s shutdown defense and some of the best special teams play in the league under the direction of Dave Fripp.
Even the best quarterback in the NFL cannot reach his potential without having the right personnel to run the ball, catch his passes and protect him in the pocket. A top-notch coaching staff can only squeeze so much out of their players. The biggest reason why teams win Super Bowls in the NFL is talent across the board. This starts with the NFL Draft to build depth through the ranks. It continues with the right free agent signings to fill the right holes and lately in the league it revolves around a few key trades here and there to push a team even further towards the ultimate goal of winning a word title.
The Eagles’ front office has excelled in all three of these categories since Philly beat Dallas in the last game of the 2016 season and it is starting to pay some huge dividends in the team’s performance through the first half of this year’s campaign.
The recent addition of running back Jay Ajayi proves the point. This guy ran for over 1,200 yards last season in Miami and he comes to the Eagles with 465 yards rushing in seven games this year. LeGarrette Blount was brought in as a free agent to get the Birds’ ground game back on track and heading into Sunday’s game against the Broncos, the offense was ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing with an average of 129.2 yards per game.
The prevailing attitude among every member of this organization that good is not good enough is another big reason why the Eagles have gone all-in to make that improbable run from the bottom of the division last year to the best team in the NFL at the halfway point of the 2017 season.
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