Eagles in great shape for the top NFC seed
Just past the midway point of the season, the Eagles have proven to be the class of the NFL. Sunday’s 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys was not only the most exciting game of the Eagles season, but the biggest win.
The Eagles are 8-1 and would have to experience a second half collapse not to earn the coveted No. 1 seed in the NFC. Only the top seed earns a first-round bye.
A Cowboys win would have tied the Eagles in the loss column. Now the Cowboys (5-3) are 2.5 games behind.
There doesn’t seem to be another team in the NFC that can catch the Eagles if they remain healthy.
Maybe the talk of Seattle will pipe down after the Seahawks got blown out by Baltimore. San Francisco has a QB problem. Brock Purdy has been exposed and he appears no better than a game manager.
Detroit is vastly improved and plays in a weak division, so the Lions can’t be discounted in the race for the best record. One game to watch is Dec. 30 at Dallas.
Dallas showed a lot against the Eagles, but the Cowboys not only have a deficit, but have December games at Buffalo and Miami. The Cowboys are a different team at home, and even though they played well against the Eagles, they still came up short against a quality team on the road.
And let’s get to the Eagles schedule.
First off, they have a bye this week and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Jalen Hurts has been dealing with a knee injury, reported to be a bone bruise and he has not been able to run the ball effectively, although he can still scramble and buy time for himself.
Even with the injury, Hurts has remained the top QB in the NFC and if he gets closer to 100 percent, watch out.
The Eagles have other players who could use the week off to rest assorted bumps and bruises.
So the rest this week should be a big help before the Eagles begin their second half drive.
One thing everybody keeps talking about is the killer stretch the Eagles are going through. It began with Dallas and the next five opponents are at Kansas City, home against Buffalo and San Francisco and then road games at Dallas and Seattle.
No doubt that is a tough stretch, but it’s also going to be difficult for the Eagles opponents.
Just as Eagles fans are skeptical about this six-game stretch, don’t you think fans of the team they're playing are just as worried about facing the defending NFC champs?
The Eagles have already won the first of this so-called six-game death march.
And after that, they finish with two games against the New York Giants sandwiched by a matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
Those two teams are in the running for the worst teams in the NFL, so if the Eagles hold the lead for top NFC record with three games to go, it will be all over.
And it might already be over, although nobody can predict a team’s future injury situation. If the Eagles can remain relatively healthy and Hurts is able to produce the way he is now, it will be highly difficult for any other franchise to earn the top seed in the NFC.
Photo: Courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles
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Author: Marc Narducci
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