NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles are not the best team in the NFC. Hell, they’re not the best team in the NFC East. However, the Eagles could find themselves on the field come playoff time with the league’s best. Heading into their Week 12 matchup against the New York Giants this coming Sunday, the Eagles could very well leave the field on a 3-game winning streak. While that seems small in comparison to the 9-2 Arizona Cardinals, the Eagles are on the up and up.
Sitting at 5-6, the Eagles have a great chance of running the table for the rest of the season.
Up first is their NFC East rival, the Giants. While the Giants have played inspired ball this year, on paper, the Eagles should walk away victorious. Next on the schedule, the New York Jets. Their QB situation is unstable and if the Eagles can continue their hot streak of running the ball and clock control, this should be a cakewalk.
Following the Jets game, the Eagles will head into their Bye Week. This week off so late in the season will allow injuries to heal as they head into the stretch run. But will it come at the wrong time? With the Eagles streaking, would a break in action do them more harm than good?
In Week 15, the Eagles will take on the Washington Football Team. Despite their records, any NFC East game has the potential of not going the way of the team with the better record. This may be a highly-contested game but if Jalen Hurts and the receivers can exploit the WFT’s awful pass defense, the Eagles will finish on a 4-game winning streak.
Their next three games may determine their playoff chances. Here they are at home looking to extend their 4-game winning streak. As stated earlier, the NFC East is no picnic but this is a chance for this young team to make another statement. If Hurts and the offense can control the clock, the Eagles will find themselves a win closer to the playoffs.
Week 17 will have the Eagles traveling to the Nations Capital to take on the same Washington team they just faced in Week 15. The same game plan applies here. It’s all about clock management. If the Eagles do their job on the offensive side of the ball and the defense can continue what they’ve been doing, this is easily their 5th straight win to close out the season.
Week 18 will bring a chance for the Eagles to get a bit of payback. In Week 3, the Dallas Cowboys completely destroyed the Eagles in every facet of the game. However, these two teams are not the same as they were months ago. While the Cowboys are still leading the division, there is a chance this game could have Division title hopes and playoff seeding on the line.
With the remaining 6 games the Philadelphia Eagles have, this Cowboys matchup could be their only loss. But if the Cowboys right their ship before this showdown, they could very well rest their starters which gives the Eagles an advantage.
The season started off rocky for the birds but they can finish out strong. The schedule is in their favor and with the way they have played in the last few weeks, nothing is impossible with this squad.
