Forget Josh Huff. The Eagles have much bigger problems than their about-face on the troubled wide receiver, who head coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday would be in the lineup on Sunday, only to show the wideout the door on Thursday.
Huff is replaceable. Although he was developing into a quality kick returner, he had all of 13 catches as a wide receiver. The Eagles and Carson Wentz still need weapons, just not the kind Huff was toting around in his car, along with some pot, when he was stopped by police on the Jersey side of the Walt Whitman Bridge.
The Eagles big problem is this: Their offense is seriously challenged, unable to throw the ball down the field. And their rushing game is spotty, with their backs seemingly taking turns putting the ball on the carpet at the most inopportune times.
Now they take the jaunt up the Jersey Turnpike to face their third straight opponent coming off a bye in the Giants.
The loser of this game will slide to 4-4, and be in serious jeopardy of falling out of the playoff race early.
For the Eagles it's even more dire. A loss to the G-Men would mean a third divisional loss, and losses to all three of their NFC East rivals.
You hate to say "must win" in Week eight, but it's pretty close to it.
The Eagles will once again have to control the ball, using their short-yardage offense to dink and dunk, then hope their defense can win the field position battle.
Doug Pederson needs to redeem himself from some seriously questionable play-calling and decisions that cost the Birds a shot to bank that prime-time affair vs. the Cowboys Sunday night.
As usual, pressure on Giants' QB Eli Manning will be the key, and the Eagles should be able to do that. The New Yorkers are not exactly lighting it up offensively either, though Odell Beckham Jr. is starting to show signs of life.
Once again, the team that creates the most turnovers is likely to take this tilt. I like the Eagles defense to stifle the Giants, and force Eli Manning into a crucial turnover.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 24, Giants 17.
Last Week: Nothing I hate more than being on the money when it means picking against the Birds. I didn't think they were as good as the Cowboys. Now, I'm not so sure. Again, this is a game they probably should have won, up 10 points in the fourth quarter, and again they imploded, no thanks to some dubious play-calling and decisions by their head coach. The win lifts me up to 3-4, while the loss has the Eagles barely keeping their head above water at 4-3.
Game by Game: Cowboys 29, Eagles 23 (My Pick: Cowboys 29, Eagles 24)
Eagles 29, Browns 10 (My Pick: Eagles 19, Browns 13)
Eagles 29, Bears 14 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Bears 16)
Eagles 34, Steelers 3 (My Pick: Steelers, 26, Eagles 23)
Lions 24, Eagles 23 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Lions 10)
Redskins 27, Eagles 20 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Redskins 23)
Eagles 21, Vikings 10 (My Pick: Vikings 26, Eagles 13)
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