Anthony DiBona
Although it feels like the season is over for the Philadelphia Eagles, it actually isn’t. Not yet, at least. There’s still hope for our beloved team due to the incompetence of the NFC East. Even though they’re 4-7, they’re only a single game out of first place in the division…that doesn’t even sound right.
But the Eagles could be put out of their misery very soon. They’re tasked with heading to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots tomorrow. Now some are saying the Eagles have a chance considering how banged up the Patriots are right now but it’ll still be a big challenge for a team that just got embarrassed by the god damn Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. Then again, that’s why they play the games on the field and not on paper, right? Let’s get right into this week’s game preview for the Eagles and Patriots!
Three Storylines To Watch For
1) Sam Bradford’s return to action
It finally happened, injury prone Sam Bradford got hurt. That’s what we all were concerned about this offseason and it seemed inevitable. But luckily it wasn’t a season ending injury and Bradford is set to make his return against the Patriots. Yet there are still plenty of questions surrounding Bradford and his future in Philadelphia. Will he finish the season on a high note and give the Eagles no choice but to bring him back or will he continue to struggle?
2) What’s going on at inside linebacker?
Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso were supposed to be the go-to guys at inside linebacker, not DeMeco Ryans and Jordan Hicks. But ever since Hicks suffered a season ending injury, the defense hasn’t been the same. Over the past two weeks especially, we’ve seen Kendricks and Alonso both struggle with tackling and being burned in coverage…which were supposed to be their strengths. Hopefully they can clean up their mistakes and perform the way that everyone expected them to.
3) Can Chip Kelly put his stubbornness to the side?
We all know that rookie cornerback Eric Rowe will finally get a chance to start but that was due to Nolan Carroll suffering a season ending injury. But when will Chip Kelly stop being so stubborn and let the young guys play some more? It’s disgusting to see Miles Autin getting more snaps than Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff. That just shouldn’t happen. So with the team’s season likely over, it’d be nice to see him give the young players on the team’s roster some more opportunities but I don’t think it’ll really happen.
Key Matchup To Watch For
Eric Rowe vs. NFL Players
That’s right, I want to see how the Eagles’ second round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft holds up against NFL players. Last week he was tasked with covering Calvin Johnson Jr. and Golden Tate, two of the higher caliber wide receivers in the NFL. That’s a tough assignment for any cornerback, especially one that’s thrust into action midgame due to an injury. Rowe has shown flashes of brilliance at times, as he did earlier in the season against the New York Jets. It’ll be interesting to see if the Patriots and Tom Brady try to pick on the rookie this Sunday. Hopefully with a full week and a half to prepare, Rowe will be able to put together a stronger showing than he did in Detroit.
Bettor’s Odds
Depending on where you look, the Patriots are anywhere from 9 to 10 point favorites against the Eagles and rightfully so. Honestly, I’m surprised the line isn’t even more in favor of the Patriots based on the last two weeks. The over/under is set around 48 points and most of that will likely be scored by the Patriots. It’s hard to pick the Eagles or the under in this situation based on the play of both teams this season.
My Prediction
Once the regular season schedule was announced, I automatically counted this game as a loss. Then it was announced that the Patriots would be without both Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski this week…and I still counted this game as a loss. I’m sorry but I just have no faith at all in this team right now. The Eagles are likely going to lose by double digits, it’s just a matter of how much. It would be nice if the team showed some passion and put up just a bit of a fight in New England or is that too much to ask for?
Final Score Prediction: Patriots 38, Eagles 17
That’s all for my Eagles vs. Patriots 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!