This is getting ugly.
It's finger-pointing time as what was a promising first year for Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz circles the drain.
The Eagles did the one thing a Philly team simply cannot do in a dreadful Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. They mailed it in.
Doug Pederson pretty much confirmed that at his Monday press conference when he responded "not everybody," to a question as to to whether everybody on the team gave 100 percent.
It's been the talk of the week.
What isn't being talked about - but should be - is the fact that there simply is not a lot of talent on either side of the ball with this Eagles team. Carson Wentz is basically alone, and he's not being helped by a coach who dials up an unthinkable 60 pass plays. Ryan Mathews is supposed to be back this week, but if there is one thing you can count on with this team is that he will get hurt again. He's great when he's on the field, but he can't stay on it. Wentz desperately needs a solid running game.
Maybe more concerning is the other side of the ball, where the Eagles appear to have some talent but are not playing that way. Fletcher Cox has been a huge disappointment after signing a big contract. Connor Barwin is invisible. The Eagles get absolutely no pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and their defensive backs play very soft. That translates into another big day for Kirk Cousins, who usually racks up big days against the Eagles. I don't see any reason for that to change.
Sure, the Eagles have played better at home this year. But that's when the game meant something. This team is now pretty much consigned to playing out the string.
It could get even uglier out there Sunday.
The Pick: Make it Redskins 33, Eagles 17. The Eagles just don't match up well against the Redskins these days. The last time in D.C. the 'Skins basically jammed the ball down the Birds' throats. I don't see it chaning this time around, especially with some of the Eagles looking for a soft place to land.
Last Week: I didn't expect the Eagles to win, but I at least thought they would show up. This one was over quick. It was 29-0 before the Birds managed to get on the board. Everyone had a hand in this one. Carson Wentz played like a rookie. The defense non-chalanted their way into a huge hole. The team has the look of a group that is quitting on their coach. Picking against the Birds one more time improved my prognostication record to two games over the .500 mark at 7-5. In the meantime, the Birds are headed in the other direction, faced with playing out the string at 5-7. Even if they won all four of their remaining games, they likely would not make the playoffs.
Game by Game: Bengals 32, Eagles 14 (My Pick: Bengals 17, Eagles 13)
Packers 27, Eagles 13 (My Pick: Packers 27, Eagles 23)
Seahawks 26, Eagles 15 (My Pick: Seahawks 24, Eagles 13)
Eagles 24, Falcons 15 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Falcons 29)
Giants 28, Eagles 23 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Giants 17)
Cowboys 29, Eagles 23 (My Pick: Cowboys 29, Eagles 24)
Eagles 21, Vikings 10 (My Pick: Vikings 26, Eagles 13)
Redskins 27, Eagles 20 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Redskins 23)
Lions 24, Eagles 23 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Lions 10)
Eagles 34, Steelers 3 (My Pick: Steelers, 26, Eagles 23)
Eagles 29, Bears 14 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Bears 16)
Eagles 29, Browns 10 (My Pick: Eagles 19, Browns 13)
Comments