Nick Piccone
For the third straight game, the Eagles will play at Lincoln Financial Field before heading into their bye week. Sunday at 1:00 P.M., the Denver Broncos come to town. The Broncos have lost three games in a row after beginning the season 3-1. They’re a good team, mainly on defense, and Brock Osweiler is getting the start at quarterback.
This is a great example of a tough game to predict going into the weekend. There’s got to be at least one week this team is off, right? Right? Maybe it was last week against the 49ers? Let’s hope the Birds come out firing on all cylinders as they don the all-black look for this one.
The game will be televised on CBS and called by Ian Eagle on play-by-play with Dan Fouts as the analyst. Evan Washburn will be the sideline reporter.
The Eagles are 7-5 all-time vs. Denver.
To the predictions:
Candis McLean (@CandisRMcLean):
The fate of this matchup boils down to the duo of Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz against a dominant playmaker-laced defense. I couldn’t care less about the QB switch in Denver. Going from Siemian to Osweiler is like going from iOS 11.03 to 11.033 – the useless upgrade where nothing changes. If the Birds’ defense pick up the blitz, makes adjustments where they need to, and come out sharp, it should be their eighth win. The defense has shown up every week and I see nothing changing about that against this stagnant offense. The Eagles win in a physical matchup that will most definitely need to be won through the air.
Eagles 20-13.
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Dave Uram (@MrUram):
Despite Denver’s excellent defense and Zach Ertz’s hamstring injury, the Eagles’ offense will figure out a way to score. I’m predicting another big game from Carson “Houdini” Wentz and more defensive dominance from the Eagles. Brock Osweiler doesn’t stand a chance.
Eagles 20-7.
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Anthony Mazziotti (@AntMazziotti):
The Eagles’ offense will have a tough time against Denver’s top ranked defense. But luckily Denver’s offense should struggle against our defense, too. I think special teams will play a big role in Sunday’s matchup. Carson Wentz will look human, but ultimately get the job done.
Eagles 24-17.
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Tony Cutillo (@TCutillo23):
I feel like the chapter has never ended in this must-read novel that has kept my interest for eight straight weeks. With every turn of the page comes a new topic or obstacle to fight through. The Eagles are raising eyebrows all over the NFL and for good reason. Their QB is in MVP company and Dougie P has cemented himself in talks for Coach of the Year. However, this week they will both be tested.
Sure, the Broncos aren’t the team we thought they would be, but they still have a guy named Von Miller who will put Big V to the test if he’s moved around. Everyone seems to think this will be a walk in the park, but I look at it more like a challenge. At the end of the day, Carson City will be cictorious, but not by a huge margin.
Eagles 17-13.
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Adrian Fedkiw (@AdrianFedkiw):
With Osweiler starting, I’m a lot more confident in an Eagles victory than with Siemian, because I believe his propensity of getting the ball out quicker is better equipped against Philly. Osweiler has a big arm and needs time to take deep shots down the field and isn’t as accurate on the shorter patterns. He’s going to have no shot going against Philadelphia’s defensive line. The Eagles might struggle against the Broncos’ ferocious defense, but watch for Ertz to be a bright spot offensively going against the Broncos’ fourth-worst yardage allowed mark to tight ends. That could be the difference in a red zone situation. I think Von Miller and company will give Philadelphia’s offensive line trouble, but I’m not so sure the Broncos can score more than 10 points. Give me the Birds.
Eagles 19-9.
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Nick Piccone (@nickpiccone):
This may be the strongest defense this team faces, and it’ll be a true test of how well Carson Wentz can read a defense and call an audible on the fly. Jay Ajayi likely will be dressed for this one, but I can’t imagine him having a huge game. Not only because it’s tough to predict how a player will perform in his first game with a new team, but the defense he’ll be going against is no joke. He’s never faced the Broncos before in his short career, so that might be in the Eagles’ favor.
Wentz is the X-factor here. If he has a good game, the Eagles will win. The Broncos offense just doesn’t seem to have enough to score high against the Birds. Of course, anything can happen on any given Sunday, but this one is a “close” win for the good guys heading into the bye.
Eagles 24-14.
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Sean Brace (@Sean_Brace):
I had a conversation with my neighbor on Halloween and he said the Birds will go 11-5. That means they’ll go 4-4 to close out the season. Nah, no shot. That would be disappointing and this team is grooving right now, so there’s no room for that. The Eagles finish strong and play a tight game vs. the Broncos, but give me the Eagles!
Eagles 27-17.
You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@nickpiccone) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to his podcast on iTunes here and listen live on WildfireRadio.com every Friday at 2pm. Click here to read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.