Plenty of Room on the Eagles' Bandwagon
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After a 10-1 start this season, few thought the Eagles would be heading into the postseason on such a down note. People are jumping off the bandwagon at a record pace and one can’t blame the passionate fan base.
However, here is a way to pose things in a positive light.
The NFL is a week-to-week league. The Eagles certainly picked a lousy time to have gone through a disastrous five-week span.
That said, writing them off still may be premature.
Remember, this is a league where the San Francisco 49ers lost three games in a row earlier this season.
As recently as Christmas, the 49ers lost by 14 points at home to the Baltimore Ravens (admittedly a serious Super Bowl contender).
The vaunted Dallas Cowboys are just 3-5 on the road.
Defending champion Kansas City Chiefs went through a 2-4 streak that began with a home loss to none other than the Eagles.
The only team that is escaping recent scrutiny is the Ravens, who have won six in a row and just put a 56-spot on Miami.
Still, QB Lamar Jackson, the likely NFL MVP, has won a total of one career playoff game.
There are no locks this year in the NFL.
Right now, one of the hottest teams is the Cleveland Browns, led by Audubon’s Joe Flacco. The Browns have won four in a row.
Again, can this be sustained?
Nobody knows.
At least the Eagles won’t be overwhelmed by high expectations.
Nobody is going to pick them to return to the Super Bowl, let alone win it.
And having to win three games to get there is another challenge. Last year as the No. 1 seed, they only had to win twice to earn their Super Bowl berth.
Now San Francisco in the NFC and Baltimore in the AFC are the teams that only have to win two games.
Still, the Eagles have too much talent to be discounted.
In Sunday’s confounding 35-31 loss to the Arizona Gannons, Jalen Hurts completed 18 of 23 passes for 167 yards, three TDs and one INT on the final play of the game in a Hail Mary attempt. Hurts had an exemplary 118.4 passer rating.
For the Eagles to contend, Hurts will have to run the ball better. He has not been on recent injury reports, but the eye test shows that he appears to be less than 100 percent running the ball, not as explosive. One could surmise that the bruised knee still may have a few bruises.
Still, what if that extra gear comes back in the postseason?
At this point it’s more likely that the Eagles season will end before the Super Bowl, especially with a defense that allowed 35 points to an Arizona team that entered the game averaging 18.
The Eagles have one regular season game left against the NY Giants and they are still in the running for the division, so it likely won’t be a game to rest the regulars. If Dallas wins at Washington (not the most difficult task), the Cowboys will win the NFC East. Yet if Dallas loses and the Eagles beat the NY Giants, then the Eagles will be the division champ.
Winning a division will ensure a first round home game, although the way the Eagles have played at home in their last three games, leaves something to be desired.
In those games they lost by 23 to San Francisco, beat the lowly Giants 33-25 and lost to Arizona.
The signs aren’t great right now for the Eagles, but we’re just saying they shouldn’t be counted out. Things change very quickly in the NFL.
Just ask the Eagles.
Photo of Jalen Hurts - Courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles
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Author: Marc Narducci
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