Let me save you three and a half hours of your Sunday that you could spend challenging the madness at your local mall.
The Eagles are not going to beat the Ravens. They have no shot. In fact, the might just ride out this tailspin by losing out.
Raise your hand if you remember them being 3-0? When Doug Pederson was getting rave reviews? When defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was considered a lock for a head coaching gig?
Yes, the wheels have come off.
When exactly this all unraveled is hard to say, but I can give you a starting point. For some reason this was not the same team that arrived in Detroit after that bye week sporting a 3-0 record. They lost that game, one they should have won. They then handed games to both the Cowboys and Giants.
It's been all downhill ever since.
But there is another key point that should be mentioned. The 10-game suspension slapped on offensive right tackle Lane Johnson for PED use might be have been the fulcrum around which this season turned. He was probably the best player on this team, maybe the best offensive lineman in the league at the time. His absence, coupled with injuries to other key members of the OL decimated this offense. More importantly it made Carson Wentz, who appeared cool, calm and collected in those first three weeks, look very much like the confused, anxious rookie ever since.
Don't look for that to change today.
The Eagles still have no offense. And the effort they get from their defense changes from week to week. Wentz has no weapons, no wide receivers and will feature an untested rookie running back.
Now Pederson realizes he's been throwing the ball entirely too much, putting the onus on this team on the shoulders of his rookie QB.
Don't look for that to change. With no running game to speak of, look for Wentz to heave the ball all over the field again.
Wentz throw at least two picks as he's swallowed up by the Ravens' defense, and Joe Flacco continues the feast of NFL QBs on the Birds defensive backfield and their penchant for giving up big plays.
The Pick: Make it Ravens 27, Eagles 13. An easy win for Joe Flacco and the Ravens, as Carson Went, Doug Pederson and the Birds continue to look for the way out of this tailspin.
Last Week: The Eagles were on the verge of doing something they have yet to do under Wentz - pull off a last-minute drive to rally for a big win. Wentz drove the team inside the the Redskins’ 20 yard line when backup right tackle Matt Tobin did an ole on Ryan Kerriganm, who slammed into Wentz, forcing a fumble. The Redskins recovered the the game was over. I’m not taking any joy in riding against the Birds one more time improved my prognostication record to three games over the .500 mark at 8-5. In the meantime, the Birds are sinking like a stone, looking like a team that has packed it in 5-8.
Game by Game: Redskins 27, Eagles 22 (My Pick: Redskins 33, Eagles 17)
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)
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