This is one for the grunts.
Don’t look for one of those wild, offensive shootouts the Eagles and their souped-up offense have made a habit of getting involved in this year.
Sunday as darkness descends on the Linc in South Philadelphia, Chip Kelly’s guys will be staring across the line at the best defense in the league.
It will be interesting to see the chess match unfurl between Kelly, the offensive wizard, and the so-called “Legion of Boom.”
This is a game that has LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles and the Eagles tight ends written all over it. Figure Richard Sherman is going to neutralize Jeremy Maclin. The Eagles will bank on their ground game to control the game, field position, and the few points that are put up.
This is a game where you don’t want Mark Sanchez to be the star. If he’s throwing the ball all over the lot, that likely means the Eagles are behind and forced to throw.
Not good. Plus that increases the changes Sanchez falls prey to his Achilles Heel, turning the ball over.
Better to feed McCoy and Sproles.
On defense, the Eagles suddenly very stingy defense will be sternly tested by Russell Wilson, who has mastered the art of being a mobile quarterback without the bad decisions that so often accompany that title. Plus the Eagles will have to double-down on the nice job they did containing Cowboys and NFC leading rusher DeMarco Murray when they face Marshawn Lynch.
A win here would be huge for Kelly and the Eagles. I think they squeeze one out.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 24, Seahawks 23. I hope Cody Parkey’s groin is healed, because the Eagles are going to need him. Lots of field goals in this one, including a long one with time expiring to give the Eagles the win and further burnishing Parkey’s folk hero status.
Season Record: I certainly did not see that Cowboys game coming. The Eagles pretty much exposed the ‘Boys, beating them physically on both sides of the ball. They will get a rematch next week. By then maybe Dallas will have a clue how to handle the Eagles pace of play, which they clearly did not on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys looked like they ate that giant meal before the game, with most of them sucking wind before halftime. The Eagles cruised, boosting their record to 9-3. The loss drops me to 8-4 on the year. This team has a chance to be very good and do some damage in the playoffs. And a win over the Seahawks would go a long way toward convincing me they’re for real.
Game by Game: Eagles 33, Cowboys 10 (My Pick: Cowboys 29, Eagles 26)
Eagles 43, Titans 24 (My Pick: Eagles 34, Titans 23)
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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