The rest of the Eagles season comes down to two words: Carson Wentz.
Last week the Eagles QB did something fans have been waiting for him to do, something elite quarterbacks do.
He put a struggling team - one that got serenaded with a chorus of boos as they left the field at halftime - on his back and willed them to a win. Wentz led the Eagles on two huge second-half drives, both of which ended up with touchdown passes, one tied the game, one sealed the deal in overtime.
It's telling that Wentz never gave the Giants the opportunity to get on the field in OT. The Eagles won the coin toss and Wentz promptly drove the Birds 75 yards for the win.
That's what big-time quarterbacks do.
It won't get easier for Wentz.
That's because as he heads down I-95 for Sunday's tilt against another lowly NFC Least foe, the Redskins, Wentz will have even fewer weapons at his disposal, if that's possible.
Alshon Jeffery, who left Sunday's game against the Giants with a foot injury, is now out for the season. Right tackle Lane Johnson has a high-ankle sprain and will not play. It does not appear as if Jordan Howard is ready to return from a shoulder stinger. Nelson Agholor continues to be questionable.
When Wentz lines up behind center and checks the field, he will be looking at J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward as his starting receivers. Look for another huge dose of Zach Ertz and Miles Sanders. Do not look for Wentz to throw the ball down the field. To whom?
On defense, the Eagles have two tests: They must control veteran Adrian Peterson on the ground, and rookie Terry McLaurin in the air. And yes, you're not the only one wondering why every other team can find these kind of receivers in the draft.
At quarterback, rookie Dwayne Haskins will not scare anyone, and it's up the Fletcher Cox and company to make sure he spends most of the afternoon running for his life.
To their credit, the 3-10 Redskins have not thrown in the towel with Bill Callahan in the head coaching seat after Jay Gruden was fired. They are playing hard. The Eagles have to be sure they play harder.
A win means the Eagles continue to control their own destiny and sets up a monster pre-Christmas match next Sunday vs. the Cowboys at the Linc.
Mr. Wentz, it's all yours.
THE PICK: Make it Eagles 19, Redskins 13. This is a win, but it won't be easy. I've got news for you, nothing will be from this point on. The Eagles are not going to score a lot of points. They will need their defense to slam the door on a Redskins team that is playing out the remainder of the season.
LAST WEEK: That's three losses in a row for the Birds since the bye, though no one is going to put defeats at the hands of the Pats and Seahawks in the same category as losing to the lowly Dolphins. I didn't think that Giants game was going to be pretty, but even I was taken aback by how bad the Birds looked in the first half. To their credit, they rallied behind Wentz and gutted out an overtime win to up their record to 6-7. Win Sunday and they can scratch their way back to .500. I'm having a decent season. The Monday night pick lifted my prognostication pitch to 7-4 on the season. No, I'm taking this act to Vegas.
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)
Dolphins 37, Eagles 31 (My Pick: Eagles 26, Giants 23)
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