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The Eagles are 1st in the NFC in points scored. They're 1st in the NFC in total yards from scrimmage. They're 1st in yards per play. They're 1st in rushing yards. They're 1st in yards per carry. They're 1st in rushing TD's. They're 1st in pass plays of 20+ yards. They're 1st in pass plays of 40+ yards. They're 2nd in forced turnovers. They're 2nd in interceptions. They have the clear-cut undisputed MVP of the NFC this season. Aside from a short trip up the NJ Turnpike to the Meadowlands Week 15, they've been in Philadelphia since they returned home from Dallas Dec.13, which was almost a month ago. They only played 4 starters last week and pretty much every key starter on the team will be operating on 12 days of rest ever since they lost at home against the Vikings a couple Tuesdays ago. They've been preparing specifically for the Packers the past 2 weeks ever since that loss to the Vikings, and although it's not a traditional bye, it sure feels like one, and the Eagles just happen to have a 15-0 record in games after the bye during the Andy Reid era. Las Vegas has the Eagles as 2.5 favorites, and oh by the way, the game is in Philly.
And yet, when I was perusing the expert picks this morning, here's what I found:
| ESPN | CBS | FOX | SI.com | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Allen | 
|
Pete Prisco |
|
Jay Glazer |
|
Peter King |
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| Mike Golic |
|
Clark Judge |  |
Alex Marvez |
|
Don Banks |
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| Merril Hoge |
|
Dave Richard |
|
John Czarnecki |
|
Jim Trotter |
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| Ron Jaworski | |
Will Brinson | |
Adam Schein |
|
Tim Layden |
|
| Chris Mortensen |
|
Josh Katzowitz |
|
Peter Schrager |
|
Damon Hack |
|
| Adam Schefter |
|
Adam Caplan |
|
Jerome Bettis | |
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| Mark Schlereth |
|
Joe Posnanski |
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| Seth Wickersham | |
Kerry Byrne |
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| Andrew Perloff |
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| Dominic Bonvissuto | |
Now, obviously, most of the accolades I noted above have to do with the Eagles' offense, but is the Eagles defense THAT BAD, and are the Packers THAT GOOD to the point where 24 out of 29 national writers are picking the Packers? I wouldn't fault any one of the above writers individually for picking the Packers. Hell, I've been going back and forth all week myself. But 24 of 29? 83%? Am I missing something?