By KO Kelly
A week ago today, the City of Philadelphia breathed a collective sigh of relief and rejoiced in the further dismantling of the already crumbling 2018 season for NY Giants. Our Birds came out with a statement game and as Coach Pederson mentioned in his post-game locker room speech, this win should serve as the spark they were needed to propel their title-defense campaign for the rest of season.
Wentz had his best game of the year and is off to a better statistical start than last year, which is amazing considering he is only nine months out from serious knee surgery. The chemistry he has with Jeffery, Ertz, and Agholor is likely to only improve from here, so get used to the return of +30-pts games. Clement and Smallwood performed well and have another chance to prove their mettle this weekend. With any lucky, they will have stellar outings and continue to quiet the doubters who contend we need to bring in a big-name running back before the trade deadline.
Speaking of running backs, though, we have to give credit where credit is due. Saquon Barkley was absolutely brilliant last Thursday. He runs the way Jay Ajayi thinks he is running when he hits the hole. Barkley also seems like a decent guy - he anti-OBJ - which makes it even harder to dislike him. He is going to be a nightmare for us for quite some time but luckily as long as Eli “Wait-I-Am-Allowed-to-Throw-the-Ball-Deep?” Manning is still their quarterback we are in good shape.
Now onto this week’s opponent: the Carolina Panthers.
This week last year we were still fuming from the infamous Pete Morelli Yellow Flag Festival, where he penalized the Eagles 10x more than the Panthers during our week 6 visit to Charlotte. Well, it seems the tables may have turned this year because in addition to the game being played at the Linc, there is also reason to believe the refs may be more favorable to us this time around. All I is a clean game with minimal interference from the zebras, oh and possibly the head of Pete Morelli on a silver platter! I mean really, does this guy even know that roughing the passer call on Barnett’s SACK of Cam Floppin’ was outrageous.
But I digress. This was our first real test last year after our week 2 loss against the Chiefs and will serve as a similar barometer for whether or not this year’s team is back on track. The Panthers are a lukewarm 3-2 with a recent loss to the Redskins and a nail-biter with the Giants. They may have cooled off after their somewhat hot start but they are still seen as real contenders in the NFC, especially with the Falcons sitting at 2-4 and the Bucs cratering back to reality.
McCaffery is having a strong season and will pose a significant threat to our banged-up defense. Cam won’t have much time to get the ball in his hands, though, because our front four will be putting pressure on him all afternoon. I am also going to call again for our first pick-6 of the season (eventually I will get it right). There will be some garbage points at the end but the Panthers offense will look mediocre for most of the game.
Wentz & Co will continue to connect through the air and on the ground as he puts up 4 TDs for the first time since the Rams game last year (note: he also threw for 4 TDs in week 7 last year against the Redskins). With the attention on Jeffery and Ertz, expect Matthews or Goedert to step up in this game. After this game, we will begin to forgive and forget the terrible football we suffered through in September as we Fly Eagles Fly on the road to Wembley!
Eagles win 35-17
Record 4-3
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Eagles Need a Statement Game
By KO Kelly
Very few of us - if any - foresaw the Eagles season starting off this way. After a miserable preseason we all hoped was part of masterful misdirection plan to hide our real campaign to defend our title - we have continued to see sloppy and inconsistent play from our Birds.
We originally chalked it up to Foles’ high variance play and believed once Carson Wentz was back, things would come together. Wentz has performed much better these past two weeks but unfortunately it has not been enough. There have been too many mistakes (e.g. costly pass interference penalties, red-zone fumble), missed opportunities (e.g. not scoring after turnovers, not stopping three 4th downs in over-time), and just plain bad luck (e.g. Bennett’s roughing the passer, Vikings’ Joseph’s 64-yd TD).
Last year’s team wasn’t exactly lucky when you consider all the key injuries we suffered but many things did fall in our favor last year that are just not happening this year (e.g. Elliott’s 61-yd field goal, Julio Jones slipping in the end-zone). Having said that, we are just a few plays away from being 4-1 right now. If Ajayi does not fumble within the 5-yd line last week, that game potentially goes the other way. If we stop any of those three 4th downs in Tennessee, we win that game. Close does not count in the NFL, though, so we just need to play better.
I am not going to dwell on the bad. There are plenty of those writers discussing those concerns. In the pre-season I said there would be weeks like this, so I am going to heed my own advice and focus on three things to be thankful for:
• Wentz appears to have shaken off any lingering rust as is getting in mid-season form
• We are in the NFC East, which can be won by a 10-6 / 9-7 team
• Aside from the Rams and the Saints, the NFC in general is pretty wide-open
Now onto this week’s match-up against the much-despised albeit woefully inept NY Giants. I thought Eli might go on a revenge tour this year to demonstrate how wrong McAdoo was in benching him but the same old, cement-for-shoes Eli is still causing a good chunk of the NY metro area to have heartburn every Sunday. Luckily for them, they will be able to enjoy this weekend since they will have all day tomorrow to digest the pain they are about to be dished tonight.
I have tried to reel in my homerism in my first several predictions - (“Really?” you might be asking, “Those were tempered predictions?”) - but this week I am throwing logic and reason to the wind. The Eagles need a big win to change their momentum and what would be better for this team and city right now than a complete dismantling of a hated divisional rival in their own home.
Carson is going to put on a show that will earn him player of the week accolades and Clement will quiet down the clamoring to mortgage our future for a featured back. The defense will harass Eli all night and we will see our first pick-6 of the season. We still have a long uphill battle ahead of us but just like last year, beating the Giants will provide a spark for the rest of the season.
Eagles win 31 - 0
Record 3-3
Editor's Note
KO is looking for a long night for Giants' fans, but I do not think we will get a chance to go to bed early tonight. After slipping past New York last season on a 61-yard field goal in the first meeting of the year, the Birds got into gear for their Super Bowl run. Look for another tight matchup this time around to keep things interesting until the fourth quarter before Philly finally plays to form.
Very few of us - if any - foresaw the Eagles season starting off this way. After a miserable preseason we all hoped was part of masterful misdirection plan to hide our real campaign to defend our title - we have continued to see sloppy and inconsistent play from our Birds.
We originally chalked it up to Foles’ high variance play and believed once Carson Wentz was back, things would come together. Wentz has performed much better these past two weeks but unfortunately it has not been enough. There have been too many mistakes (e.g. costly pass interference penalties, red-zone fumble), missed opportunities (e.g. not scoring after turnovers, not stopping three 4th downs in over-time), and just plain bad luck (e.g. Bennett’s roughing the passer, Vikings’ Joseph’s 64-yd TD).
Last year’s team wasn’t exactly lucky when you consider all the key injuries we suffered but many things did fall in our favor last year that are just not happening this year (e.g. Elliott’s 61-yd field goal, Julio Jones slipping in the end-zone). Having said that, we are just a few plays away from being 4-1 right now. If Ajayi does not fumble within the 5-yd line last week, that game potentially goes the other way. If we stop any of those three 4th downs in Tennessee, we win that game. Close does not count in the NFL, though, so we just need to play better.
I am not going to dwell on the bad. There are plenty of those writers discussing those concerns. In the pre-season I said there would be weeks like this, so I am going to heed my own advice and focus on three things to be thankful for:
• Wentz appears to have shaken off any lingering rust as is getting in mid-season form
• We are in the NFC East, which can be won by a 10-6 / 9-7 team
• Aside from the Rams and the Saints, the NFC in general is pretty wide-open
Now onto this week’s match-up against the much-despised albeit woefully inept NY Giants. I thought Eli might go on a revenge tour this year to demonstrate how wrong McAdoo was in benching him but the same old, cement-for-shoes Eli is still causing a good chunk of the NY metro area to have heartburn every Sunday. Luckily for them, they will be able to enjoy this weekend since they will have all day tomorrow to digest the pain they are about to be dished tonight.
I have tried to reel in my homerism in my first several predictions - (“Really?” you might be asking, “Those were tempered predictions?”) - but this week I am throwing logic and reason to the wind. The Eagles need a big win to change their momentum and what would be better for this team and city right now than a complete dismantling of a hated divisional rival in their own home.
Carson is going to put on a show that will earn him player of the week accolades and Clement will quiet down the clamoring to mortgage our future for a featured back. The defense will harass Eli all night and we will see our first pick-6 of the season. We still have a long uphill battle ahead of us but just like last year, beating the Giants will provide a spark for the rest of the season.
Eagles win 31 - 0
Record 3-3
Editor's Note
KO is looking for a long night for Giants' fans, but I do not think we will get a chance to go to bed early tonight. After slipping past New York last season on a 61-yard field goal in the first meeting of the year, the Birds got into gear for their Super Bowl run. Look for another tight matchup this time around to keep things interesting until the fourth quarter before Philly finally plays to form.
Friday, October 5, 2018
Eagles Face Familiar Foes with Some New Faces
By: KO Kelly
Last week’s meltdown against the Titans wasn’t due to the return of 2016 Agholor or the ghosts of Asomugha/ Williams/Fletcher in the secondary or our porous o-line. No, it was my fault. Like Big Red used to say, “It’s starts with me”. Both of our losses this year have occurred while I was also on the road. I was aware of our home record when I am at the games (2-0) but I didn’t realize the responsibility I was shouldering this year for road games. I will act more responsibly next Thursday when we travel to the Meadowlands and stay in Philly.
Additionally, it did not help that I built up last week’s match-up as a game to remember. I was just trying to be creative in my writing. I did not expect the Titans to actually deliver on my prediction of it being a close and memorable game. I mean really - who would have thought they would go for and convert three fourth downs . . . in a row . . . within field goal range . . . in overtime! That takes some serious huevos. Even in defeat an Eagles fan can appreciate that. So let’s give credit where credit is due, the Titans - after disappearing for a while in the middle - did not give up and willed their way to victory.
It should have been a joyful memory as the game where the Eagles offense found their groove with the return of Jeffrey and the continued progression of Wentz’s recovery but alas it will be a painful memory of defeat snatched from the hands of victory. Luckily it was an out-of-conference game and should not have too much of an effect on playoff standings.
This week’s match-up, however, has serious playoff implications for two teams thought to be clear NFC favorites only a month ago. Who would have predicted that with 4 games under their belts, these teams would not even collectively have that many wins?
After losing a shoot-out with the Rams last Thursday, the Vikings are in a near do or die situation. They haven’t won since week 1 (vs the Niners) and are likely still recovering from their embarrassing outing against the Bills two weeks ago. Speaking of embarrassing, remember when the Vikings came to the Linc last year heavily favored by all the major media outlets and oddsmakers and then were summarily Skol’ed out of town to the tune of 38-7? Good times!
This time around they will have a real QB at the helm (Hey Kirk, you like that shout-out?) who has a history of putting up big numbers against our Birds. Paired with one of the three offensive masterminds (DeFilippo) from Wentz’s break-out 2017 campaign, I do not foresee Cousins’ track record against us slowing down.
Fortunately, Wentz will continue his upward surge with a masterful performance that will silence the doubters and restore confidence in this beleaguered city that hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 8 long months! The defense will look better throughout most of the game - pressuring Cousins’ and forcing some turnovers but they will give up some garbage points in the 4th quarter, which will rightfully annoy all of us who are hoping for a 38-7 repeat.
Eagles win 35 - 21
(Record 3-2)
Last week’s meltdown against the Titans wasn’t due to the return of 2016 Agholor or the ghosts of Asomugha/ Williams/Fletcher in the secondary or our porous o-line. No, it was my fault. Like Big Red used to say, “It’s starts with me”. Both of our losses this year have occurred while I was also on the road. I was aware of our home record when I am at the games (2-0) but I didn’t realize the responsibility I was shouldering this year for road games. I will act more responsibly next Thursday when we travel to the Meadowlands and stay in Philly.
Additionally, it did not help that I built up last week’s match-up as a game to remember. I was just trying to be creative in my writing. I did not expect the Titans to actually deliver on my prediction of it being a close and memorable game. I mean really - who would have thought they would go for and convert three fourth downs . . . in a row . . . within field goal range . . . in overtime! That takes some serious huevos. Even in defeat an Eagles fan can appreciate that. So let’s give credit where credit is due, the Titans - after disappearing for a while in the middle - did not give up and willed their way to victory.
It should have been a joyful memory as the game where the Eagles offense found their groove with the return of Jeffrey and the continued progression of Wentz’s recovery but alas it will be a painful memory of defeat snatched from the hands of victory. Luckily it was an out-of-conference game and should not have too much of an effect on playoff standings.
This week’s match-up, however, has serious playoff implications for two teams thought to be clear NFC favorites only a month ago. Who would have predicted that with 4 games under their belts, these teams would not even collectively have that many wins?
After losing a shoot-out with the Rams last Thursday, the Vikings are in a near do or die situation. They haven’t won since week 1 (vs the Niners) and are likely still recovering from their embarrassing outing against the Bills two weeks ago. Speaking of embarrassing, remember when the Vikings came to the Linc last year heavily favored by all the major media outlets and oddsmakers and then were summarily Skol’ed out of town to the tune of 38-7? Good times!
This time around they will have a real QB at the helm (Hey Kirk, you like that shout-out?) who has a history of putting up big numbers against our Birds. Paired with one of the three offensive masterminds (DeFilippo) from Wentz’s break-out 2017 campaign, I do not foresee Cousins’ track record against us slowing down.
Fortunately, Wentz will continue his upward surge with a masterful performance that will silence the doubters and restore confidence in this beleaguered city that hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 8 long months! The defense will look better throughout most of the game - pressuring Cousins’ and forcing some turnovers but they will give up some garbage points in the 4th quarter, which will rightfully annoy all of us who are hoping for a 38-7 repeat.
Eagles win 35 - 21
(Record 3-2)
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