The Dreaded Saturday Eagles Pick

There are no “must” wins in Week 5 of the NFL.

Except for this week, and the Eagles annual saunter up I-95 to battle the Giants in North Jersey.

Chip Kelly can’t afford to lose this game. His team is coming off a dismal 52-20 humbling in Denver in a game that wasn’t that close. Peyton Manning did not play at all in the fourth quarter as the Broncos took their foot off the gas.

On Monday Kelly didn’t seem all that concerned about the Mile High Massacre. He sounded like a man who simply wanted to put the game behind him and move on. Unfortunately, that’s exactly how his team played on Sunday. Even Troy Aikman noticed.

Here’s Kelly’s dilemma. While everyone is noticing the burn marks all over this wretched defense, no one is noticing that his offense is not exactly hitting on all cylinders either. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. The Eagles are rolling up yards in record numbers. But Kelly’s wizardry seems to stop at the 20-yard line, much like so many other Eagles teams.

They haven’t played at the same pace they did on opening night in Washington since they went in for halftime in D.C.

Can it possibly be that the NFL has already figured him out?

Suddenly the Eagles don’t seem able to get DeSean Jackson in space. He’s being doubled, and the Eagles have few other options. Riley Cooper continues to play because Jeremy Maclin is not healthy. Jason Avant is a slot guy who is not getting open. The tight ends are a work in progress.

On Sunday, the Birds’ one dependable offensive weapon, LeSean McCoy, was victimized by the Mile High conditions.

A trip up the Jersey Turnpike could be just what this offense needs.

And if the Eagles woeful defense is ever going to shut a team down, this Giants team just might be the tonic they need.

But here’s the problem: Raise your hand if you don’t think the Giants are going to go 0-5 to start the season. That means the Eagles are in for a fight, a knock-down, drag-em-out battle. In other words, just another NFC East game. Kelly hasn’t coached many of those either. It will be interesting to see how he reacts.

With the Eagles’ propensity for failing to punch the ball into the end zone, kicking will be key. Uh-oh, Alex Henery has been consistently inconsistent this year, failing to convert on what should be routine kicks in the 40-50 yard range.

The Pick: Make it Eagles 29, Giants 26. The Eagles should be able to make Eli Manning turn the ball over a few times, and the offense should be able to score just enough.

Last Week: Kelly might be right, maybe the Eagles should have just saved the air fare. It certainly looked like they mailed it in after the first half. One could be tempted to say the team quit on their coach. Another effort like that one will cause grave concerns for the Chip Kelly Era.

Season Record: Picking against the Birds got me off the Schneid. Now I need to get on a roll. I have the same record as the Birds at 1-3. Incredibly a win Sunday by the Eagles and a loss by the Cowboys to the Broncos would put the Eagles in first place. Oh, how the NFC Least has fallen.

Game by Game: Eagles 33, Redskins 27 (My Pick: Redskins 31, Eagles 23) Chargers 33, Eagles 30 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Chargers 17) Chiefs 26, Eagles 16 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Chiefs 23) Broncos 52, Eagles 20 (My Pick: Broncos 41, Eagles 27)