Anthony DiBona
Does anyone even care about the Philadelphia Eagles anymore this season? Nobody wants to admit it, but we all still care about our beloved birds. Of course they’ve been one of, if not, the biggest embarrassments in the NFL. That isn’t something that you just forget and move on from. Everyone in the City of Brotherly Love and Eagles’ fans from everywhere else around the world are pissed off. But that can all change on Thanksgiving…kinda.
Since they’re in the NFC East, the second worst division in the NFL behind the AFC South, the Eagles are somehow still very much alive in the playoff hunt. They’re just one loss out of first place behind the New York Giants and also tied with the Washington Redskins. So despite all of the pandemonium going on in Philadelphia this week, it can all be silenced for now with a win on Thanksgiving over the Detroit Lions.
But should the Eagles even try to win tomorrow? Of course they’ll try, no professional sports team is going to just tank a season away…right? In all seriousness, the Eagles are going to try and make a last second playoff push but it’s likely not worth their time and effort. This team just isn’t built to win against the juggernauts of the NFC like the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. That being said, let’s take a closer look at tomorrow’s match-up between the Eagles and Lions in the Motor City!
Three Storylines To Watch For
1) Who will start at quarterback for the Eagles?
It was pretty safe to assume that Mark Sanchez would make his second consecutive start at quarterback for the Eagles on Thanksgiving. But that was before Sam Bradford apparently turned into Iron Man and managed to clear concussion protocol and was a full participant in practice earlier today. Although the practice could have just been a walkthrough, it’s still worth noting that Bradford could end up suiting up against the Lions. Considering how well Bradford was playing prior to his injuries, he would bring a much needed boost to Philadelphia’s struggling offense.
Lane Johnson says Mark Sanchez took first team reps in practice today, Sam Bradford was full participant. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/0zgNjcink2
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 25, 2015
2) Can the Eagles finally stop the run?
After being one of the best run defending teams in the league for the past couple of years, something has gone wrong in Philadelphia. For some odd reason, the Eagles just can’t stop the run anymore at all. But luckily for them, they just so happen to be playing the worst rushing offense in the NFL tomorrow. Detroit averages a whopping 71.1 rushing yards per game, by far the worst mark in the league. So will the Eagles actually get back to their old ways and shut down the run or will they somehow manage to let rookie running back Ameer Abdullah go off for the first time in his career? Honestly, either one wouldn’t surprise me at this point.
3) Which Eagles team will show up?
We’ve heard it all this week. Chip Kelly has lost the locker room, the players have quit on him, etc. But this week will be the true test to see where this team’s head is at. They cannot afford to come out flat on the road and have a rough start. The Lions looked like the joke of the NFL prior to these past two weeks and then they went out and beat the Packers and Oakland Raiders. It’s clear that they’re a better team than their record indicates and the Eagles can’t afford to take anyone lightly. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Eagles come out motivated considering all of the controversy surrounding them this week.
My Prediction
It’s honestly hard to pick the Eagles to win any game right now. From the outside looking in, it honestly looks like Kelly has lost the locker room. Players have seemed defeated in interviews this week and that’s something I’ve never seen from this team’s roster under Kelly. That being said, I think they’ll come out flat once again and Detroit’s passing attack will get back to their old ways and expose Philadelphia’s defense for the second week in a row. Don’t forget that the Eagles will also manage to turn the ball over at least two times, that’s sadly an easy call at this point as well.
Final Score Prediction: Lions 24, Eagles 14
That’s all for my Eagles vs. Lions preview, be sure to check back here at PhillyInfluencer.com for all of the latest news regarding your beloved Birds and everything else happening in Philadelphia!