Eagles vs. Rams Game Predictions

Huge game for the Philadelphia Eagles today.

Biggest one of the year.

The Birds are looking to bounce back after losing to the Seattle Seahawks last week.

That loss was a reminder that the Eagles are mortal. Despite looking invincible at times during their nine-game winning streak, the Eagles are beatable.

But there’s a big difference between today’s contest compared to last week. On paper, at least, this game figures to be a better matchup for the Eagles.

Philadelphia won’t have to deal with chasing around the ever-elusive Russell Wilson. Instead, they get a much less mobile Jared Goff, comparatively speaking. It’s time for this Eagles defensive line, which is the strength of the team, to really come up big in a huge spot. The Eagles still rank first in the NFL in generating pressure (per Pro Football Focus), so the Eagles should be able to make life difficult on Goff at times.

But it’s not like today’s game will be a walk in the park for Carson Wentz, either. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is one of the best defenders in the NFL. He’s able to create havoc up the middle. Wentz needs to play much better than he did last week. It won’t be an easy task for him, but he’s shown resiliency this season so he could bounce back.

That’s the desired theme of this week’s game. Play better than you did last week. I think the Eagles will do that.

Another key difference from last week’s game is that the Rams’ run defense (26th in opponent rush yards) is a weakness for them. This is really a week for Doug Pederson to pound the rock.

Pederson, not unlike Wentz, is also really in need of a bounce back week. He faces a tall challenge as he tries to out-scheme Coach of the Year candidate Sean McVay and one of the best coordinators in the league, Wade Phillips. The hope is Pederson’s game plan is much more aggressive than last week’s ... timid ... approach.

I’ve been feeling all week that the Eagles are going to rebound in this game. That’s meant as no disrespect to the Rams, who are very good. I just think the Eagles are the better team matchup-wise, and they’ll prove that today.

Here's who the BGN writers are predicting to win. Here's advice when picking against the spread.

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Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: Eagles win, 28-24

Bold prediction: Jay Ajayi runs for 150 yards and two touchdowns

Your predictions:

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