The Eagles have three games remaining and hold their destiny in their own hands.
Win and In.
However, two of the games are more important than the third.
Ironically, it’s Sunday night’s prime time matchup against the 11-2 Arizona Cardinals and former Temple Coach Bruce Arians. The Eagles can lose to the Cards and still make the playoffs by simply winning the final two weeks against the Redskins and Giants. I don’t think they will - lost to the Cards that is.
Teams always struggle when they fly from the East Coast to the desert to play the Cardinals But what isn’t talked about as much is that the Arizona doesn’t fare all that well when they fly to the East Coast. They got blown out two years ago at the Linc. Of course, so far this year they are 6-1 on the road, but they’ve only come all the way to the East Coast once, for a game in Pittsburgh.
The game will be a huge test for the Eagles defense, including rookie corner Curtis Rowe, who looks better each week. This is the best - and fastest - set of receivers they have faced this year, led by All-World veteran Larry Fitzgerald. Joe Brown’s 75 yard TD cost them the game last year in a 24-20 loss in the desert.
On offense, Sam Bradford will get a chance to compare himself to one of the best in the game. Carson Palmer has resurrected his career in Arizona and is playing at an MVP level. Bradford could look at Palmer as an example of a guy who worked his way back from injuries to perform at an all-star level.
Chip Kelly has been peppered all week with questions about his use of DeMarco Murray, the big money free agent brought in from the Cowboys, who now finds himself seemingly taking a supporting role as the Birds continue to rotate their running backs. It shows that Kelly, while still not willing to adjust his vaunted system, but at least tweaking who best works in that system. Clearly that is not Murray.
Bradford actually took a few shots down the field against the Bills, hooking up with rookie Nelson Agholor on a TD strike. But Rex Ryan and the Bills moved their safeties up into the box to defend the run and challenged the Bradford and the Eagles receivers to go deep. They responded with just 6 points - two field goals - in the second half.
They will need to put points on the board to keep up with Palmer and his high-flying receiving corps.
This one just might be Sam Bradford’s coming out party, in prime time.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 27, Cardinals 26. Go ahead, call me a homer. But I think this team finally might be ready to get on a serious roll. Even though they don’t really need the game, I think the Cardinals struggle as usual when they have to travel to the East Coast.
Last Week: The Eagles defense put the clamps on LeSean McCoy in the second half, ruining his homecoming and sending him running up the tunnel without exchanging pleasantries with his former teammates. The Birds did just enough to win, but seemed to miss a lot of opportunities to strike down the field after the Bills pulled their safeties up into the block and basically dared Bradford and the Eagles wideouts to beat them deep. They need to do better on this.
Season Record: 6-7. The Eagles don’t really need this game. The key games come next against the Redskins and Cardinals. But I think this will be a huge game for Sam Bradford, who is starting to get questions about whether or not he wants to be here in Philly again next year. Bradford becomes a free agent after the season. Plus he will be matched against one of the best in the NFL when he looks across the field at Carson Palmer. The Birds’ gutty win over the Bills managed to lift them to 6-7 as well. With three games left in the season, they hold their destiny in their own hands.
Game by Game: Falcons 26, Eagles 24. (My Pick: Eagles 37, Falcons 26)
Cowboys 20, Eagles 10 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Cowboys 26)
Eagles 24, Jets 17. (My Pick: Eagles 27, Jets 23)
Redskins 23, Eagles 20. (My Pick: Eagles 26, Redskins 13)
Eagles 39, Saints 17. (My Pick: Eagles 23, Saints 13)
Eagles 27, Giants 7. (My Pick: Eagles 27, Giants 16)
Panthers 27, Eagles 16 (My Pick: Eagles 26, Panthers 23)
Eagles 33, Cowboys 27 OT (My Pick: Eagles 23, Cowboys 13)
Dolphins 20, Eagles 19 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Dolphins 16)
Bucs 45, Eagles 17 (My Pick: Eagles 17, Buccaneers 16)
Lions 45, Eagles 14 (My Pick: Lions 23, Eagles 16)
Eagles 35, Patriots 28 (My Pick: Patriots 33, Eagles 17)
Eagles 23, Bills 20 (My Pick: Eagles 26, Bills 17)
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