The Eagles need a team they can kick around and vent their frustrations on.
Enter the Miami Dolphins.
The Fish should provide the perfect cure for what is ailing the Eagles. And what is ailing the Eagles is the nagging belief that this team is not anywhere near as good as all that much-ballyhooed Super Bowl hype from last August.
But the Eagles got several pieces of good news this week. First, they should have their right side of their offensive line back in tact. Brandon Brooks is recovering from his latest bout with anxiety, which forced him out of Sunday's loss against the Seahawks. Lane Johnson, complete with a mega-contract that makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league, is back from concussion protocol.
The line play, including the disaster of flipping rookie tackle Andre Dillard to the right side, was a huge factor in last week's atrocious effort by the offense.
Second, they got a huge Thanksgiving Day gift from the Buffalo Bills, who went into Dallas and knocked off the Cowboys.
The recipe should be the same this week for the Eagles. Pound away with the ground game, and let Carson Wentz and the offense pick their spots.
Wentz had a dreadful game last week, one not helped by receivers who were running what you could only call some 'creative' routs. The Birds again axed Jordan Matthews after the game, and Alshon Jeffery remains shaky. The Eagles are not going to scare anyone through the air, and Wentz will have to make plays with his legs.
Anyone else get the realization that this is simply not the same Wentz we saw in that dazzling rookie season, and that the team's efforts to corral some of Wentz's tendencies have not helped him. Wentz is not all that effective in the pocket. Watch his feet. His footwork is a mess and leads to a lot of those inaccurate throws. Wentz is better on the move and outside the pocket. The team needs to take off the bubble wrap and let Wentz improvise. The injury risk is always going to be there, but so is the belief that Wentz appears mediocre in this role as a pocket passer.
Stalwart running back Jordan Matthews remains questionable. Having him back in the backfield would be a big boost.
On defense, the Eagles should be able to dominate for the third straight week. After excellent efforts against the Patriots and Seahawks in successive weeks, the Dolphins should not present a challenge.
THE PICK: Make it Eagles 29, Dolphins 13. Carson Wentz should be able to quiet the fans. At least for a week.
LAST WEEK: We're moving in different directions. I'm now three games over .500 at 7-4, while the Birds have slumped to a game under .500 at 5-6. Amazingly, with a win Sunday, the Eagles would again be tied to with the Cowboys and have their playoff destiny in their own hands.
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)
Eagles 31, Jets 6 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Jets 13)
Vikings 38, Eagles 20 (My Pick: Vikings 27, Eagles 26)
Cowboys 37, Eagles 10 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Cowboys 23)
Eagles 31, Bills 13 (My Pick: Bills 23, Eagles 17)
Eagles 22, Bears 14 (My Pick: Eagles 23, Bears 16)
Patriots 17, Eagles 10 (My Pick: Patriots 31, Eagles 17)
Seahawks 17, Eagles 9 (My Pick: Seahawks 26, Eagles 17)
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