Things are about to get serious for the Nick Foles Era.
Foles looked solid last week in leading the Eagles to a win in Tampa and snapping the Birds’ eight-game losing streak with a dramatic drive down the field with no timeouts left. His winning throw came as the final two seconds ticked off the clock, setting off a rather odd celebration on the Eagles’ sideline.
We’ll have a better feel for what the Eagles have in Foles tonight. He’ll face what is likely the best defensive unit that’s lined up against him so far this year. The Bengals are solid, both against the run and the pass. The Bucs, while featuring the No. 1 defense against the run, were a sieve against the pass. But that doesn’t mean Foles did not do some good things. He handled the pressure well. moving around in the pocket to give himself time, and constantly keeping his eyes down the field to find open receivers.
The Eagles will need a much bigger effort from rookie running back Bryce Brown tonight. He got stuffed by the Bucs. And something Brown needs to learn. In the NFL, you can’t always try to go around the corner and outrun defenders. The Bucs excelled in making Brown run sideways. Sometimes you have to plow straight ahead. Marty Mornhinweg’s game plan didn’t help Brown much.
On defense, the Eagles need to keep up the kind of play the exhibited in the first half agains the Bucs. Free of the bizarre Wide 9, the Eagles played maybe their best defensive half of the year.
I still don’t think it will be enough. The Begals are the bettter team.
The Pick: Make it Bengals 23, Eagles 17. Foles is OK, not great, which is I think what you have with him. Maybe I’m wrong. We’ll see
Last Week: Foles had a very good week in getting his first win, completing 32 of 51 for 381 yards. If he has to throw that much tonight, the Birds will be in trouble.
Season Record: The celebration that broke out on the Eagles’ sideline with their last-second win masked the fact that they also were officially elimintated from the playoff hunt. And with three weeks left in the regular season. That’s not something to celebrate, especially for fans who are hungry for change. The win boosted the Birds mark to 4-9. I made it two in a row by picking the Birds to upset Tampa, something of a payback for that unforgettable playoff game, the last contest every played at Veterans Stadium Joe Jurevicius can stop running now. I’m sitting pretty with a 8-5 record.
Game by Game: Eagles 17, Browns 16 (My Pick: Eagles 27, Browns 13)
Eagles 24, Ravens 23 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Ravens 23 - On the Money!)
Cardinals 27, Eagles 6 (My Pick: Eagles 29, Cardinals 13)
Eagles 19, Giants 17 (My Pick: Eagles 19, Giants 17 - On the Money!)
Steelers 16, Eagles 14 (My Pick: Steelers 24, Eagles 16.)
Lions 26, Eagles 23 (My pick: Eagles 19, Lions 17)
Falcons 30, Eagles 17 (My pick: Eagles 29, Falcons 17)
Saints 28, Eagles 13 (My pick: Saints 37, Eagles 19)
Cowboys 38, Eagles 23 (My pick: Cowboys 23, Eagles 17)
Redskins 31 Eagles 6 (My pick: Eagles 29, Redskins 24)
Panthers 30, Eagles 22 (My pick: Eagles 23, Panthers 13)
Cowboys 38, Eagles 33 (My pick: Cowboys 33, Eagles 23)
Eagles 23, Buccaneers 21 (My pick: Eagles 26, Buccaneers 17)
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