Chip Kelly is still picking up the pieces of his Eagles team that were littered all over the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.
The question now is can Kelly put this wounded squad back together, shake off the effects of a thoroughly demoralizing beatdown by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, and be ready to roll Sunday vs. the Titans at the Linc.
The answer, of course, is yes. Don’t forget that the Eagles went to Denver last year, got shellacked by Peyton Manning and the Broncos by almost the exact same score, 52-20, then righted the ship and sprinted to the NFC East crown and into the playoffs.
They have something else working for them this week, the exact same thing that worked against them last week. This time it’s the Titans who are going on the road after a Monday night game. That’s always a toxic combination.
Plus, this just might be the week Kelly decides to feed the beast, and unleash LeSean McCoy on the Titans, who don’t defend the run very well. McCoy has been on the verge of a meltdown all week, at one point walking out on reporters when asked if he thinks he’s the same back as he was last year.
Kelly needs McCoy to get on track if the Birds are to fare well in the following three weeks - two games with the Cowboys sandwiched around a visit from the Seahawks.
A couple notes of caution, coach. The Titans do one thing really well. That is put heat on the quarterback. They made Ben Roethlisberger’s life miserable Monday night. This isn’t the time to have Mark Sanchez dropping back 40 times, unless you happen to enjoy seeing your QB continue to turn the ball over.
And rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger has a big-league arm and nerves of steel in the pocket.
The Eagles need to climb on LeSean McCoy’s back and ride him to a win.
Lose this game, or struggle mightily against another sub-.500 team, and the phone lines will be overheating on Monday.
I think Shady goes off - and not on reporters - with his first huge day of the season.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 34, Titans 23. Mettenberger will have a good day, but the Eagles should be in control behind McCoy, and his partners in grime Darren Sproles and Chris Polk.
Season Record: I didn’t think the Eagles were going on the road to Lambeau off a Monday night game on the short week and beating the hottest quarterback in the league. But I was taken aback at the way Aaron Rodgers toyed with the Birds. It was a statement game, just not the one the Eagles had in mind. Any more efforts like that one, and serious questions about this squad will start bubbling to the surface. That ugly mess they left on the frozen tundra left the Eagles at 7-3, while I reluctantly pocketed the win to match their mark.
Game by Game: Packers 53, Eagles 20, 21 (My Pick: Packers 33, Eagles 24)
Eagles 45, Panthers 21 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Panthers 17)
Eagles 31, Texans 21 (My Pick: Eagles 29, Texans 19)
Cardinals 24, Eagles 20 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Cardinals 23)
Eagles 27, Giants 0 (My Pick: Giants 31, Eagles 26)
Eagles 34, Rams 28 (My Pick: Eagles 35, Rams 19)
49ers 26, Eagles 21 (My Pick: 49ers 33, Eagles 29)
Eagles 34, Jaguars 17 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Jags 16)
Eagles 30, Colts 27 (My Pick: Colts 29, Eagles 23)
Eagles 37, Redskins 34 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Redskins 23)
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