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WK11: SEAHAWKS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/19
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

w11-sea

Seattle Seahawks

SUNDAY 4:25       CenturyLink Field       Seattle, WA

NEEDS TO STEP UP:

halapoulivaati-vaitai

RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai: He can’t be a liability this week. Under normal circumstances he’d have to line up against DE Michael Bennett who’s one of the best in the game. However, since Bennett is out with a knee injury, Vaitai’s dance partner this week is back-up DE Frank Clark. Before you breathe that sigh of relief, you need to know that Clark is 2nd on the team in sacks (7.5). Seattle is also starting a back-up LOLB, so we need to be able to attack that. We can’t do that, if we have to cover for Vaitai.

WE MUST CONTAIN:

russ-wils

QB Russell Wilson: Got a really simple one here: Stay in your rush lanes, and limit Wilson’s sight-lines and scramble lanes. Seattle has no real run game, and their WR’s are just as yawn inducing as ours are. Their TE was a god in New Orleans, but since going to Seattle (even making allowance for injury), he’s been a shadow of his former self. If we hamper Wilson, we shut down their whole offense. Their defense is still good, but it’s getting by (in part) on a three year old reputation. Take away the QB and it’s not like that defense can score enough points to hang with us.

EAGLES STORY LINE:

One week after pummeling Atlanta into submission, we draw a team that likes to trade short-area punches. Seattle has been operating this way for years now, and we just started showing signs that we can do it again. So it can’t be expected that we can go toe-to-toe with them in their wheelhouse.

We however, pack a few nasty surprises that most brawler-type teams lack. We have probably the best Special Teams unit in the sport (that means all levels and all leagues). We also have a human spark plug (RB Darren Sproles), and an Offense evolving around a rapidly evolving QB in Carson Wentz. This team has never scored fewer than 20 points under this rookie QB, and our worst loss under him was by 7 points.

Seattle can punch teams in the mouth, but now so can we. This match-up will be different than the last one, where TIK was our coach. This is a message game. Once upon a time teams dreaded coming to Philly. They knew it meant an ass whooping. Even if we lost, you were going to leave here, bleeding from the face.

Tomorrow. 4:25. Be in character Eagles fans.

BOTTOM LINE:

If this were easy, it would be worthless. Time to take it. Tame it. EARN IT.

PREDICTION:

EAGLES 28 – Seahawks 18

FOUR THINGS: EAGLES/SEAHAWKS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/18
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

ABOVE .500 and still in the basement of the NFC East. You have to love the irony. Back in April I picked us to go 9-7 (at least) and win the division. Many told me I was nuts, and that we’d win no more than 5 games. Well, it would seem that were on pace for that 9-7 mark, but the division…eh, not so much.

Considering how well we’ve played vs teams we weren’t supposed to beat (Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Atlanta, all of which I told you we’d win), I have to say, I’m less worried than most fans are, about this week’s game.

Can we do it again? Last week we won by pushing Atlanta into a phone booth, shutting the door behind us, and pounding on them until the refs fired a starter pistol to get us to stop. Atlanta isn’t built for such rough treatment. They tried to respond, but it’s just not who they are. For Philly inhabitants and our teams, the ability to hang in fist fight is a birthright. It’s in our air and in our water. If you can’t hang, your ass is as good as grass.

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Seattle on the other hand, is our huckleberry. If we want to be tough guys, and trade short area blows, they don’t mind at all. Why, that’s just their game. If we’re going to beat these characters at their own…how do you say “forte” in French? Doesn’t matter. If we’re going to beat Seattle at the style that won them a Super Bowl, then there are certain things we have to do.

 

 

 

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to look for, Week 11 versus Seattle :

1) Attack the left with RB Darren Sproles. Due to injury LOLB Brock Coyle is starting for Seattle. While he might hold his own vs our TE’s , there is no way he can stay with Sproles on any route run beyond the line of scrimmage. That doesn’t mean make Sproles our bell-cow, just make sure he’s on the field a lot.

2) Spread ’em out. We can run inside much easier if we use formations that pull the LB’s to the outsides of “the box”. If Seattle chooses to walk a Safety down, instead of walking a LB outside, that leaves 1-on-1 on the outside for someone. 

3) Challenge their CB’s. The biggest knock on our WR’s is that they don’t get separation. Fine. To hell with separation. WR’s Jordan Matthews (if he plays) and Dorial Green-Beckham are king-sized wideouts. Why not use that as an advantage instead of ignoring it week in and week out. Who needs separation when you can box-out on a Hitch route, or out-jump a smaller man? Use those big bodies like they’re big bodies.

4) Set the edge. Seattle’s run game is garbage this year, so it won’t take much to shut that part of their offense down. What we need to focus on, is not giving them gifts, via unforced errors (so to speak). A form of “mush-rush” should be effective against QB Russell Wilson, as his vision would be obscured due to his height.

This game will be lost if we come out there being cute. Seattle is not as good as they were 2-3 years ago, but they still are not an outfit that suffers fools. If we bring them the same weak-ass game that we brought Detroit, we will get blown out by a team that’s only 21st in scoring. We have to come out there ready for this to be a street fight. Because that’s exactly what Seattle will be bringing us.

yeah-bitch

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: FALCONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/15
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

THE score was closer than the game was. Even with a few self-inflicted wounds (LB Najee Goode, I’m looking at YOU!) we managed to hold the NFL’s top scoring team, to less than half of the 34 (33.9) points that they came into the game averaging. We punked, bullied, and pushed Atlanta around at will.

This is exactly the team I was predicting they’d be prior to this preseason. The stifling team concept Defense, our Offense being based on a power run game, Special Teams that set the table for the other two units. It was great to finally see it all come together.

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RB Ryan Mathews powers into the end zone, with a physicality that teammate Darren Sproles does not possess. 

That 24 – 15 victory was a thing of beauty. It was in no way a finished product, as you could still see we have some growing to do. However, when you hold a team that averages 315 passing yards, to just 303 total yards, it’s something to be proud of. We took a team averaging 114 rushing yards per game and capped them at 48. This was also the worst showing of the year by the Falcons QB, who escaped the game with a passer rating of just 78.7.

But what about the stuff that the stats don’t reveal? That’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. To have an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that we’re forced to honestly answer questions AFTER the game.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Get away from things we don’t do well. We didn’t lean on RB Darren Sproles as our bell-cow; only attempted a couple Screen passes; ran ZERO QB options; and didn’t try to force long balls to TE Zach Ertz or WR Nelson Agholor. Instead we leaned on RB Ryan Mathews, threw the ball down the field to WR Jordan Matthews, threw Ertz more underneath stuff, and QB Carson Wentz had the longest run of his career (so far), on a 13 yard scramble right up the middle. We handled business here. DONE

2) Put Matty on ice. We sacked him twice, but we only hit him six times. I expected more hits on him, but then again he was constantly unable to get comfy, and his lack of accuracy (54%, his second worst of this season), and his lowest QB rating (78.7) of the season showed as much. DONE

3) Be aggressive on Offense. You can’t get more aggressive on Offense than five straight runs with Mathews from the 28 yard line, all the way to the end zone. We ran the ball down Atlanta’s throat in that game, and dominated the point of attack. DONE

4) Run behind the rookie. This one has me on edge. Technically we did this, though we waited until the second half to run behind RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, 4 or 5 times total. TOTAL. As in the whole game. Out of 38 rushing attempts, only about 5 went his way. If Wentz was a left-handed QB I would understand it as strategy. This however, comes across as protecting Vaitai. Long-term that can’t have a happy ending. NOT DONE

This week’s score is 3 out of 4 things done. I could get technical and say we went 4 for 4 (and it would be nice to), but that last one wasn’t truly earned. It also raises questions about whether or not he’ll be the weak link in our next game vs the Seattle Seahawks. (Now see, THAT was a segue.)

WK10: FALCONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/14
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

wk10-atl

EAGLES 24 – Falcons 15

THIS week the Eagles didn’t get cute with the Offense. In fact, we were at our best when we were playing smash mouth ball and running the ball right up the gut. Head Coach Doug Pederson called a monster of a game, which featured controlling the clock, limiting Atlanta’s opportunities for possessions, and dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

The Eagles piled up 208 rushing yards at 5.5 yards per tote, while holding Craplanta to just 48 rushing yards and capping them at yards 255 passing (sack adjusted). We also kept them to 2/11 on 3rd down conversions.

QB Carson Wentz (25/36 – 69.4% – 231 – 0 – 0) still looks like he’s hit the rookie wall, but there were a couple moments in the game where he looked like that next level is just around the corner for him. One such moment was the 13 yard run up the middle on 2nd and 12. There was no one around him and he went into a head first dive once he’d secured the needed yardage. No risking his body and still getting every needed inch. Very heads up play for a QB at any stage of their career. Right, Steve Young?

The engine of the day was RB Ryan Mathews (19 – 109 – 5.7 – 2 – 0) giving us the sort of tough, inside running that RB Darren Sproles (2 – 19 – 9.5 – 0 – 0 / 8 – 57 – 7.1 – 0) simply can’t provide. WR Jordan Matthews (6 – 73 – 12.1 – 0) seemed to be on his way to a monster day. However, in the second half the clock struck midnight, the coach became a pumpkin, the horses became rats, Matthew’s hands turned back into bricks… The guy who impressed me most though, was TE Zach Ertz (6 – 55 – 9.1 – 0). The routes he ran, gave Wentz somewhere to go with the ball quickly, and kept him from having to resort to Screen passes. We threw what, just 2 or 3 Screens all day long? That was beautiful. Let’s keep trending down with that.

Speaking of trending down, WR Nelson Agholor continues to be a bust. And I didn’t forget his stats. I’m giving them all the attention they deserve.

Did you see my LB’s out there taking away any quick passes from the Falcons? Did you see that play where OLB Nigel Bradham (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) stopped QB Matt Ryan from scrambling OR hitting WR Julio Jones on a short pass in the 1st quarter? That’s BEAST level football my friends. The return of DT Bennie Logan (no stats) went a long way to helping us not have to blitz, so the LB’s could be used in coverage.

Nobody had a an awesome statistical day, but they played amazing team concept Defense. We held a team that came in averaging 34 point per game to just 15. That’s just 44% of what they normally do.

Did you notice?

After a few bullshit, non-calls in the game, our players seemed to get a little angry out there. It was nice to see the Eagles playing with a chip on their shoulders. Been a while.

WK10: FALCONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/12
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 Comments

wk10-atl

Atlanta Falcons

SUNDAY        1:00        Lincoln Financial Field,        PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania

NEEDS TO STEP UP:

Vikings Eagles Football

OLB Mychal Kendricks: This is the second time Kendricks has appeared here. He didn’t step up the last time (at Detroit), and we lost that game as a result. He’s here for the same reason this time. Atlanta throws to their RB’s a lot, so Kendricks has to not be a liability in coverage. Our Defense should get good pressure on QB Matt Ryan. Kendricks can not give Ryan somewhere cheap and easy to go with the ball.

WE MUST CONTAIN:

trent-cole-almost-beats-levitre

LG Andy Levitre: This is less a player to contain, and more one to attack. Levitre is a mid-level lineman, playing between an over-paid/under-performing Free Agent C in Alex Mack, and a sorely disappointing LT in Jake Matthews. (Yes, he’s from THE Matthews Family.) If the Eagles can control the LG spot, that would destabilize Atlanta’s entire offensive attack. Matt Ryan, WR Julio Jones, RB Devonta Freeman…dominating Levitre would shut that all down. Getting back DT Bennie Logan this week, should help a great deal with this part.

EAGLES STORY LINE:

The Eagles can win this game if the coaching staff handles 1st and 2nd down with care. Don’t get cute and just focus on picking up yards is the order for this game. The Falcons already bleed points and yards. All we have to do is not hand back everything they’re going to give us.

The Falcons are 6-3 the way the Vikings were 5-0. It’s a weak and circumstantial winning record. They don’t do anything we can’t handle if we come to the game ready to handle business.

BOTTOM LINE:

This is a VERY winnable game if the Eagles go out there and actually take the win.

PREDICTION:

Eagles 30 – Falcons 21

FOUR THINGS: EAGLES/FALCONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/11
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

IT’S dark here in this basement. Can’t see a damned thing, and the floor is slippery with blood from all these self-inflicted wounds. Sitting here at 4-4 is damned embarrassing. Not because we’re awful, but precisely because we aren’t. If this team gets it’s act together and does a few simple things, there’s no reason we can’t run the table during this last 8 games. I’m not saying we will, I’m saying that we have everything we need in order to do the job. SO LET’S DO THE JOB!

These guys coming in? These Falcons… So they’re 6-3. They aren’t champs! We don’t have to lay down for them, just because the world expects us to lose. This is game is in OUR house. If those guys want to come to OUR house and pick a fight, they’d better bring their lunch pails, because they’ve got a full day’s work ahead of them.

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Last week we learned about our limitations. This week we should be all about the business of cutting what doesn’t work and hanging our hats on what does. Particularly on Offense.

This week we get to face the NFL’s #1 team in scoring (33.9 ppg) , but on the flip they allow more scoring (28.8 ppg), than all but 4 teams. So there’s room for us to do our thing. Provided we actually make the attempt.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to look for, Week 10 versus Atlanta :

1) Get away from things we don’t do well. Screens, QB option runs, and utilizing Darren Sproles as a bell-cow RB are on this list.

2) Put Matty on ice. The Falcons allow more hits on their QB (61) than all but three teams in the NFL. This works for us, because if QB Matt Ryan is on his back, he’s not throwing passes to WR Julio Jones.

3) Be aggressive on Offense. The Falcons hemorrhages points already, and they have the NFL’s second worst pass defense. There is no reason to be tentative against this team.

4) Run behind the rookie. Most of our runs seem to go away from RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai. It seems that most of our Offense is designed to not expose him. The result is that we keep tipping our hand and teams know they can load up on us, to one side. So why not even the playing field? Coaches may not want to stand QB Carson Wentz behind Vaitai, but if he gets a chance to mash down on someone, it could do wonders for his confidence.

Last week’s game was a measuring stick for our progress. This week’s game is a measuring stick for individual player’s pride. I could say more, but it would only be a waste of words.

yeah-bitch

I CAN’T THIS WEEK

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/08
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Rants, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

regret

MANY fans will want to dump on Head Coach Doug Pederson for going for it on 4th and short, instead taking those two field goals. To hell with that. That’s all window dressing. Look a little deeper and you’ll see something much more important and far more pervasive. It’s something that would only rear it’s head in a game like the giants game, and in moments like those we just faced.

What you’d see is a team with no real sense of it’s own limitations. History shows that there is no more important ingredient in a hand-spun, homemade, old world ass whipping. We avoided it by playing the giants last week, but Atlanta may not be so kind this week.

This was the game where we learned some of the things we simply can’t get away with. We’ve all heard the expression “athletes who play within themselves”. Players who don’t over-reach and focus on what they’re good at. That’s a nice way of saying for example, that Steve Kerr wasn’t as talented as Michael Jordan, but he still found a way to be great in his own right. Well, the Eagles have a bunch of Kerrs (see what I did there?), and are damned short on Jordans.

It’s important to work within your limits once you’ve learned what they are. That way you can avoid future beatdowns of the abjectly humiliating and spiritually traumatic variety. So class, what did we learn specifically on Sunday?

We learned that RB Darren Sproles card-darren-sproleshas never been a bell-cow RB for a damned good reason. On 59 carries this year, he’s yet to see the end zone or break a run for 20 yards. His 36 touches over the last two weeks have taken a visible toll on his quickness and explosiveness. Which explains why he ran out of gas on the punt return that he almost brought back Sunday. Bet you hadn’t put those two together.

 

 

We learned that QB Carson Wentz might have good straight ahead speed, card-carson-wentzbut he can’t evade NFL level speed on bootlegs. If he’s going to bootleg, it has to be into a throw. That option running stuff is out of the question for him. He’s just too slow at this level. If he drops back and the pocket splits, by all means young man, RUN! These QB option plays though? They have to go. Unless we’re drafting another QB.

 

 

We learned that DT Beau Allen is at best a stop-gap player. card-beau-allenHe gave us all a reason to sit up and take notice in the preseason, but since the games began to count, he’s been only useful as a plugger vs the run. Even when going against an O-line decimated by injury. Despite frequent double teams on DT Fletcher Cox, Allen also can’t take advantage of one on one blocks and is a likely candidate for being replaced after this year.

 

We learned that WR Nelson Agholor card-nelson-agholoris holding the team back. While Agholor had more catches than rookie WR Bryce Treggs, Treggs managed to both, beat his man deep AND catch the ball. Those are two traits we have yet to see much from Agholor. He’s had a season and a half to make the sort of impression that Treggs did within mere minutes of his NFL debut. While I wouldn’t go so far as to start Treggs over Agholor, it’s clear that Agholor needs to sit.

So there you go. Four things (see what I did there?) that the team entered the giants game thinking they could get away with, but learned they need to stop. Making the adjustments to these things won’t cost a dime. They don’t need to bring in anybody. This is just a matter of playing within themselves and doing what they’re actually good at. And no, Screen passes are not on that list.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/07
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

MEASURING stick. That’s what I said this game would be, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. We learned a number of things in this game and each lesson was important. (This isn’t the place to go over them, so I’ll hit you with that in my next article, coming out either later today or early tomorrow.)

The math says that even though today we’re 4 – 4 overall and 0 – 3 in the division, we could still run the table and finish 12 – 4 overall and 3 – 3 in the division . That however, is highly unlikely. It’ll be interesting to see what the coaching staff decides to do from this point forward. Do they press forward and try to win the NFC East, or do they start plugging in more and more young guys, to get them some experience for next year.

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(image courtesy Bleedinggreen.com)

We lost 23 – 28. That’s not a big margin, and if you didn’t watch the game that might even make you think is was a good game for us. The truth is that it was woefully uneven. QB Carson Wentz is looking more and more like “a guy” and not “The Guy”. Yesterday he was intercepted twice and failed to throw a touchdown for the second time in four games. In fact, he has just 2 in his last 4 games. Also for the third time in the last four games, his completion percentage failed to reach even 58%. Statistically his regression is clear.

But what about the stuff that the stats don’t reveal? That’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. To have an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that we’re forced to honestly answer questions AFTER the game.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for  in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Rush five regularly. Didn’t happen. Since DT Bennie Logan went out with a calf injury, our four man pass rush has dissolved into four guys who often, almost get there. Same with yesterday. It was like seeing four Mike Mamula‘s out there. (If they gave trophies for being within arms reach of the QB, Mamula would be in the Hall of Fame.) Yesterday we brought down stationary object Eli Manning all of ONE time. NOT DONE

2) Avoid throwing Screen passes. Considering how effective the Eagles were when we threw the ball down the field, I have no idea why we bothered with these. NOT DONE

3) Some 3-TE formation would be nice. When I wrote this, it was with the intention of using this not just inside the 5. NOT DONE

4) Do the unexpected. Some of the very suggestions I made here were addressed in this last game. TE Zach Ertz is still basically being used like a big slow WR, but the play-action was better, and the ball went deep to a few guys. It was good to see. DONE

This weeks score was 1 for 4. If the giants were a better team the loss would have been by more than four. As it stands, next week we get a home game again which is a good thing. The bad part of that is we have to figure out a way to handle Atlana WR Julio Jones. Should be fun.

WK9: GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/07
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

w9-nyg

EAGLES 23 – giants 28

THE Eagles fell behind early (14 – 0), and never were quite able to recover fully. Twice we were able to close the gap to 4 points only to stall on Offense, and surrender touchdowns which grew the lead to 11 again. This will be the game that people remember losing by 5 because Head Coach Doug Pederson elected to go for it on TWO early 4th downs, instead of kicking Field Goals. (Given the situation and our history, faulting Pederson is irrational and blatantly unfair.)

Still, we were in it until the bitter end. (And man was it bitter!) Despite our best efforts to assist the giants, we could have won the game on a fourth quarter, 4th down pass into the end zone. Unfortunately that pass was a little too long and a little to far to the right.

Carson Wentz (27/47 – 54% – 364 – 0 – 2) continued his regression as an NFL QB. Yes, yes he was still very poised and whatnot, but the NFL doesn’t award points for composure. At some point he has to prove that he can make plays, by actually making some plays.

Our 25 rushes (compared to 47 passes in a game where the lead was never more than 11 points) were paced by RB Darren Sproles (13 – 57 – 4.3 – 0 – 0). When used as a downfield target, WR Jordan Matthews (6 – 88 – 14.6 – 0) was actually rather effective. He was less effective when catching Screens. (HINT MOTHERFUCKING HINT!!!) New Eagle WR Bryce Treggs (2 – 69 – 34.5 – 0) made his pro debut with two catches in the first half, then was put into the Witness Protection program for the remainder of the game. TE Zach Ertz (8 – 97 – 12.1 – 0) had a busy day as a receiver, but still was pulled on too many run-blocking downs, which tips our hand to opponents about what sort of play is coming.

The giants were held to 54 yards rushing on 24 attempts (2.2 yards per tote). We also got two heads-up interceptions by MLB Jordan Hicks (5 – 0 – 1 – 0) and CB Nolan Carroll (3 – 0 – 1 – 0). Hicks was his second in as many weeks, caused by DE Connor Barwin (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) tipping a pass. Carroll’s was literally ripped from the arms of WR Odell Beckham, before he could secure a catch while going to the ground.

We only managed one sack this week, as the 4 week absence of injured DT Bennie Logan continues to hurt our pass rush. Except for a 6 sack outburst against a decimated Vikings offensive line 3 weeks ago, this unit has managed just 3 total sacks in 3 of the last 4 games.

Did you notice?

Darren Sproles already looks slower and less explosive. The extra use is already putting excess wear and tear on him. He can’t continue to be used at this pace, if we expect him to be of any use.

WK9: GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/11/05
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

w9-nyg

New York Giants

Sunday 1:00        MetLife Stadium        Rutherford, NJ (Not New York)

NEEDS TO STEP UP:

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QB Carson Wentz: His first two division games have been losses, as the QB some of the job of rallying his team is on him. If he is indeed a franchise QB. He has the authority to audible into and out of plays if he sees something he doesn’t like or something he likes better. On any given play it’s his decision who he throws the ball to. Coaching be damned, if he truly wishes to throw the ball downfield, it’s within his power to do so. He has just about half a season under his belt, it’s about time we started to see some of the field general he was drafted to be.

WE MUST CONTAIN:

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WR Odell Beckham: He’s the most dangerous player on the giants roster as far as talent and ability to swing a game’s momentum. However, if we can frustrate him, the hope he could provide to his team, would likely be replaced with despair at yet another of his sideline meltdowns.

EAGLES STORY LINE:

Today we sit a 0-2 vs NFC East opponents. While a loss would only drop us to 4–4, suffering 3 division losses out of 6 division games, would give us almost no shot at a later tie-breaker in a wild-card situation provided Dallas continues to hold the division lead. This is what I would consider the Eagles third must-win game of the year. The first was Detroit, a gimme game that should have been a cushion for losses to better teams. The second was Washington. We lost both games. This week is an important measuring stick.

BOTTOM LINE:

Though it’s a road game, this is a highly winnable game. However, if we blow it, we may as well start playing our youth and begin driving up our Draft position.

PREDICTION:

Eagles 27 – giants 13