Who knew that Dallas Goedert was the Most Valuable Eagle?
Let me try to explain. Goedert, who shares the tight end billing with Zach Ertz, is the key to the Eagles ground game. With him in the lineup, the Birds can feature their "12" package, which lines up with two tight ends and just one back.
It is the formation the Birds use for the bulk of their rushing game.
Goedert battled a balky calf. He was back in the lineup last Thursday and it enabled the Birds to unleash their ground game on the Packers, with Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders having their best game of the year, rushing for a combined 159 yards and a gaudy 6.5 yards per carry on first down.
The problem is that one of the very few things this week's opponent, the New York Jets, do well is stop the run. This might be a week where Goedert and Ertz take on a bigger role in the passing game.
Carson Wentz has now gone two straight games without throwing an interception and is playing at a very high level, which would be even higher if his receivers had made some key catches. You can make the case that the Eagles could be 4-0 were it not for that brutal case of the dropsies that inflicted receivers.
The Eagles biggest problem continues to be cornerback, where injuries have left them seriously depleted. Thankfully, the Jets are hardly a threat in the air, relying on backup Luke Falk with Sam Darnold still trying to recover from a case of mono. The Jets made a splash in the off-season by signing Le'veon Bell, but he has hardly been a factor, averaging just 2.9 yards a carry. It will be imperative for the Birds' defense to make sure Bell does not go off Sunday at the Linc. He could make the game interesting all by himself.
This is supposed to be one where Eagles' fans prop up their feet and enjoy a comfy win. It rarely ever works out that way. All four games in this young season have been tight, one-score affairs. So don't look for the Eagles to blow out the Jets.
THE PICK: Make it Eagles 31, Jets 13. This is a game the Eagles are supposed to win - and it should not be that difficult. Of course, that's probably what Packers' fans thought last week. The Birds need to put this one in the win column without a lot of drama.
LAST WEEK: The last thing Doug Pederson and the Eagles needed was a horrendous effort to the Lions. The Eagles didn't do a lot right in this one - and still had a chance to win it with their last possession after Malcolm Jenkins blocked a Lions' field goal. But Wentz's heave to the goal line clanged off the hands of wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, pretty much a symbol for the way this season has gone so far. The win might just have saved the Eagles' season and evened their record at 2-2. My lack of faith in the Birds dropped me to the .500 mark at 2-2.
GAME BY GAME: Eagles 32, Redskins 27. (My Pick: Eagles 27, Redskins 13)
Falcons 24, Eagles 20. (My Pick: Falcons 29, Eagles 27)
Lions 27, Eagles 24: (My Pick: Eagles 26, Lions 23)
Eagles 34, Packers 27 (My Pick: Packers 33, Eagles 23)
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