I kind of saw this one coming. The Falcons were not as bad as they looked in Week 1 in falling meekly to the Packers. The Eagles looked very much like a team that had not played very much in the preseason.
The result was a loss in a game where the Birds again showed what is fast becoming their trademark - a deadly slow first half in which Carson Wentz and the offense do little if anything, and a defense that gets dissected in the early going.
What I did not see coming was the rash of injuries that have bitten the Birds. They played most of the game without wideouts DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, as well as tight end Dallas Goedert. The loss of Goedert really creates problems for the team in their run game, he's their best blocking tight end.
Don't look for an offensive explosion this week either. Jackson has been ruled out. Goedert and Jeffery are questionable. This would be a good week for the Birds to get their ground game uncorked. Still waiting for Penn State product Miles Sanders to realize this is the NFL, and north and south is usually the best - if not the flashiest route.
Wentz likely is not going to put up big numbers, again missing some key offensive ingredients.
On defense, the Eagles desperately need to put pressure on Matt Stafford, or he could be the latest QB to pick apart their shaky secondary.
This is going to be a tight one. I think this week Wentz et al pull out a close one.
There's no rest for the weary. The banged-up Birds will be right back on the field - on the road - Thursday night in a visit to Lambeau Field and the Packers. That scheduling quirk hasn't done Doug Pederson any favors this week. Let's hope the Eagles don't see another raft of injuries Sunday.
THE PICK: Make it Eagles 26, Lions 23. Wentz will likely rely heavily on tight end Zach Ertz. Defensive guru Jim Schwartz likely will have to do something he doesn't really like to do - dial up blitzes to put pressure on Stafford. As we learned last week, that's a dangerous concept. Falcons' QB recognized one of those blitzes late in the game, and checked into a wide receiver screen that Julio Jones took to the house.
LAST WEEK: Even with all that went wrong against Atlanta, Ertz still managed another second-half comeback and had the Birds in position to win the game. He delivered a perfect pass - and potential game winner - into the hands of Nelson Agholor streaking down the sideline. Of course Agholor dropped it. Let's hope the Birds don't drop two in a row, with a trip to Green Bay looming just ahead. The loss dropped the Eagles to 1-1 on the young season, while my record remains unblemished at 2-0.
GAME BY GAME: Eagles 32, Redskins 27. (My Pick: Eagles 27, Redskins 13)
Falcons 24, Eagles 20. (My Pick: Falcons 29, Eagles 27)
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