The Eagles have arrived at the midway point of the marathon NFL season at 4-4.
Now it’s time to turn on the jets, with three straight games against teams they should beat, the next two of them at home before a trip to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.
I’m not surprised the Birds struggled out of the gate, despite how good they looked in the preseason.
Just take a look at how many players Chip Kelly cast off, and how many new faces he brought in. An NFL team does not gel overnight. If nothing else, this Eagles team has only reinforced that.
Then there is Sam Bradford. Each week the Eagles QB shows a little more evidence of the guy who was the No. 1 pick in the draft a few years ago. But he missed almost two full seasons with two serious knee injuries. Then he played very little in the preseason. When he did play he looked great. Now we know there is a difference between the preseason and regular season. Bradford looked tentative and rusty at the beginning of the year. He wasn’t helped much by his wide receivers, who continue to be a problem, and Chip Kelly’s predictable play calling.
Give Kelly some credit. For all his talk about his vaunted “system,” and his culture, he has changed his modus operandi in the last few weeks. Kelly has slowly varied his offensive approach, putting Bradford under center and going with two tight ends. Of course, the meager contributions of his wideouts made that a pretty easy decision. This is not the way Kelly wants to run his offense, but it is turning out be a winning formula.
In their last four games, the Eagles have pounded the rock, using their three-headed monster of DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles to roll up more than 150 yards on the ground. Unleashing that running attack has fueled the Eagles’ turnaround. Credit Kelly for altering his approach.
On Sunday they get a team that looks like the next victim. The Dolphins struggle to stop the run. Look for the Birds to run at them early and often, eventually setting up Bradford for a big day off play-action passes.
The Eagles have injury concerns of their own. They lost rookie standout linebacker Jordan Hicks. Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans and Kiko Alonso continue to recover from various injuries. Malcolm Jenkins is expected to play despite suffering a concussion last Sunday. On offense it looks they will again go without Jason Peter at left tackle. Last week Lane Johnson filled in admirably.
This is a game the Eagles should win.
I think they will.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 33, Dolphins 16. The Eagles should be able to move the ball on the ground. Look for big days from both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. Bradford’s newfound comfort zone, especially moving around in the pocket, should again mean a big second half for him.
Last Week: The Eagles, and in particular Bradford, had their best game of the season, using a huge second half to post a big win against Dallas in Jerry Jones monstrosity of a stadium.
Season Record: Yes, I realize this now makes nine straight weeks I have picked the Eagles to win. Don’t look for that to change much. I believe they should win their next three, to go 7-4 and take a stranglehold on the NFC East. The Giants face the Patriots this week. That should drop them below the Birds. Right now both the Eagles and I are sitting at .500
Game by Game: Falcons 26, Eagles 24. (My Pick: Eagles 37, Falcons 26)
Cowboys 20, Eagles 10 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Cowboys 26.)
Eagles 24, Jets 17. (My Pick: Eagles 27, Jets 23)
Redskins 23, Eagles 20. (My Pick: Eagles 26, Redskins 13)
Eagles 39, Saints 17. (My Pick: Eagles 23, Saints 13)
Eagles 27, Giants 7. (My Pick: Eagles 27, Giants 16)
Panthers 27, Eagles 16 (My Pick: Eagles 26, Panthers 23)
Eagles 33. Cowboys 27 OT (My Pick: Eagles 23, Cowboys 13)
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