That thud you heard last week was the sound of the Eagles coming back to Earth - with a bang.
The Birds, who had been on quite the roll, winners of five straight, gave one of their worst efforts of the season, in the process getting scorched by Matt Cassell and the Vikings.
The tone was set on the opening kickoff, when Chip Kelly decided to defer after winning the coin flip and unveiled his secret weapon - squib kicking rather than booting it to dangerous return man Cordarelle Patterson. It blew up in his face, told his team he was playing scared, and they followed his cue.
The Eagles defense looked about as bad as it has since being singed by Peyton Manning in Denver. Oddly enough, they had played very well since then, holding a series of foes under 21 points as the team reeled off five straight wins.
Now it’s a two-game season, and the Eagles still have wiggle room since the Cowboys and Tony Romo incredulously coughed up another big second half lead. The Cowboys play at 1 in D.C. If they win, the Eagles prime time game doesn’t mean a lot. But if they lose again, the Eagles can take the NFC East crown with a win. The problem is I don’t think they’re going to beat the Bears
Chicago is just the kind of passing team that will give the Eagles’ defensive secondary fits.
This would be the ideal game for the Eagles and Kelly to slow things down a bit and control the clock with a huge helping of LeSean McCoy. The Bears run defense is one of the worst in the league. But I don’t think Kelly will change his ways, which means Jay Cutler will have plenty of chances to gash the Birds.
Another factor could be what is supposed to be a very mild day, but windy and rainy. If the wind wreaks havoc with the passing game, that could work in the Birds’ favor.
This isn’t a trap game. The Eagles have already tossed that one out there last week.
I happen to think the Cowboys are going to lose in D.C., and then the Eagles will do the same at the Linc.
The Pick: Make it Bears 29, Eagles 27. Nick Foles drives the Eagles into position for the game-winning field goal. And with 3 ticks showing on the clock, from 48 yards out, Alex Henery boots it .... and it’s .... wide right. Then it’s on to Dallas for all the marbles in the NFC East.
Last Week: Can you say trap game? The Eagles can issue all the platitudes they want. They took the Vikings for granted and it came back to haunt them big time. They didn’t get a lot of help from the coach, who insisted on a curious kickoff philosophy that set the tone from the opening bell and consistently put the Vikes in great field position. Then he decided to give the ball to the best running back in the league just eight times. Not Chip Kelly’s finest hour.
Season Record: I did not expect the Eagles to put in such a dismal showing in Minnesota. It just proves to me that they have been a charmed team much of the year, getting lots of breaks via other teams missing star players and more than their share of calls from the refs. It all caught up with them last Sunday. The loss drops me to 9-5, while the Birds now stand at 8-6. Despite all this, they remain atop the NFC East, thanks to the gift who just keeps on giving. That would be Tony Romo and the Cowboys, of course.
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)
Eagles 36, Giants 21 (My Pick: Eagles 29, Giants 26)
Eagles 31, Buccaneers 20 (My Pick: Eagles 26, Buccaneers 17)
Cowboys 17, Eagles 3 (My Pick: Cowboys 33, Eagles 23)
Giants 15, Eagles 7 (My Pick: Giants 26, Eagles 23)
Eagles 49, Raiders 20 (My Pick: Raiders 23, Eagles 13)
Eagles 27, Packers 13 (My Pick: Eagles 29. Packers 16)
Eagles 24, Redskins 16 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Redskins 27)
Eagles 24, Cardinals 21 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Cardinals 19)
Eagles 34, Lions 20 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Lions 23)
Vikings 48, Eagles 30 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Vikings 19)
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