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I’d like to believe it’s not my nature to be negative about the Philadelphia Eagles. I’d like to think I can at least see reasons for optimism even if I don’t necessarily believe them.
I do see why the Eagles could beat the Seattle Seahawks today. Doug Pederson has never lost back-to-back home games. Carson Wentz typically bounces back after bad outings. The defense is playing better recently. Jadeveon Clowney is banged up. The Seahawks are playing a 10:00 AM Pacific start time. And so on.
But I’m just at a stage with this Eagles team where I’ll believe it when I see it. I feel like I’ve spent the last multiple weeks watching the same Eagles game over and over where the offense is a total slog. It’s honestly a chore to watch. There’s no real lasting sense of fun or enjoyment.
Maybe the Eagles’ offense wakes up against a seemingly vulnerable Seahawks defense. I do think Nelson Agholor being out could actually help the Eagles since I’ve believe he’s been actively making the team worse.
Then again, the Eagles will be playing without Lane Johnson and that’s pretty significant. Andre Dillard is better than Johnson’s previous replacement options but playing right tackle is a whole new animal for him. The Eagles need to dominate the trenches in order to win and I wonder if they can.
Speaking of the trenches, I do like the Eagles’ defensive line going up against the Seahawks’ offensive line. The problem is that Russell Wilson’s mobility can negate the pressure the Eagles are able to generate. Wilson has been a bad matchup for Philly’s defense and I don’t know why anyone would expect anything different given how well he’s playing this year. The Eagles’ best hope of stopping Wilson is the Seahawks being dumb and giving the ball to Chris Carson way more often than they should.
Today’s game has the potential to be a disaster for Howie Roseman. Wilson, Clowney, DK Metcalf, and Josh Gordon are players he notably passed on acquiring. If those guys ball out today, well, it’ll be a pretty embarrassing look.
Hopefully the Eagles can avoid the humiliation that comes with losing. They really need to win this game to keep good standing in the NFC playoff picture. I don’t feel awful about their chances today but I don’t feel good enough to pick an Eagles win.
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Score prediction:
Bold prediction:
My predictions:
Score prediction: 28 to 24, Eagles lose.
Bold prediction: Greg Ward throws a touchdown pass to Carson Wentz.
Your predictions:
Leave your own score predictions in the comments.