Philadelphia Eagles v. St. Louis Rams Week 5 Predictions
By Todd Duvall
Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) passes for a first down during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
The Philadelphia Eagles offense looked almost inept last week. Actually, they were. They didn’t score a single offensive point against the San Francisco 49ers. The defense however was impressive. They harassed 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick all day. The score may not reflect how well they did and that was because of two plays. One of those was blown coverage by Eagles linebacker Marcus Smith which resulted in a 49ers touchdown. The other play, an amazing grab by 49ers wide receiver Steven Johnson, essentially iced the game for the Eagles.
Here are Inside the Iggles staff writer predictions. And as always you can click on their names of more articles from each of them.
Jason Hunsicker, Staff Writer
It was a tough loss last week and an abysmal showing by the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. The last time quarterback Nick Foles played that poorly was in the 2013 loss against the Dallas Cowboys, 17-3. Foles missed the next game (against the New York Giants) with an injury, and made his next start a week later.
In Oakland.
Seven touchdown passes later, the Eagles had found themselves a quarterback.
I don’t see that kind of performance on Sunday, but I do expect Foles and the offense to rebound. Getting Lane Johnson back at right tackle will be a huge help, with Todd Herremans moving back inside to a guard spot to shore up the interior blocking. It should be enough to get Philadelphia to 4-1.
Eagles 29, Rams 20
Bret Stuter, Staff Writer
The Philadelphia Eagles woes have gotten the attention of the coaches, the players, and the fans. The last time this happened was a home game against Dallas, with a back breaking west coast trip to Oakland to face the very hot Raiders.
Once more coaches, players and fans are at a position of attention of the woes of the team.
Help is on the way, and it’s not just right tackle Lane Johnson.
Chip Kelly is no slouch when it comes to game planning. The San Francisco game felt…predictable. That will change when the Birds face off against the Rams in Philadelphia. The Eagles offense is loaded with talent, and that talent will shine in this game.
The Philadelphia Eagles defense has had success neutralizing one offensive player. When they face the Rams, look for them to tee off against running back Zach Stacy. That will leave room for some heroics from quarterback Austin Davis. Some, but not enough.
LeSean McCoy will finally break 100 yards rushing by carrying the ball 25 + times. The passing game will be short and high percentage. The score will be the only thing not close.
Eagles 35, Rams 21
Nicholas Takacs, Staff Writer
It’s redemption week for quarterback Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles offense. With tackle Lane Johnson returning to the lineup after serving his suspension, I expect to see improved play across the front. It won’t be back to the same level that the Birds began the season with, but it shouldn’t be the swiss cheese mess we saw last Sunday. Thankfully, the St. Louis Rams have their own problems across the board, giving the Eagles an opportunity to get their house in order. Expect heavy doses of the run game with running backs Lesean McCoy and Darren Sproles. This it the game to hand it off and let them get their groove back. The Birds need to build a lead early, and then defend and grow it through the second half. It is a statement game against what should be an easy opponent on paper.
Unfortunately, one of the things that scares me is the Eagles’ historically propensity to make crappy teams look like Super Bowl contenders. Head coach Chip Kelly needs this group to unify and play as one. Score early and score often. I want to see the Eagles put the Rams away, and be in a position to either rest key starters for the second half, or experiment with new formations without risk of losing the game. I think this team can rise up to the challenge, and head into a Week 5 NFC East showdown against the Giants at 4-1.
Eagles 28, Rams 10
Todd Duvall, Editor
Last week’s game was painful to watch. I kept expecting Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly’s high-octane offense to break out. I’m still waiting. There are two things affecting the Eagles running game. One, the offensive line has suffered devastating losses and the backup players are having a tough time learning and implementing their roles. Two, it appears each Eagles opponent has a spy assigned to running back LeSean McCoy.
McCoy has rushed for 170 yards so far this season. He’s capable of much more and we have seen it. He ran for 215 yards in eighteen inches snow before. I think Kelly and company have had enough of the week, near non-existence running game. The Eagles will look to establish their running game for the first time this season. I believe we will finally see McCoy find his way and rush for over 100 yards.
With the running game established, the return of Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson I expect quarterback Nick Foles to have a great game as well. I think the Eagles will play with a chip on their shoulder. They will show no mercy.
Eagles 37, Rams 17
Giorgos Kassakos, Staff Writer
After falling to the 49ers, the Eagles need a convincing win against the St. Louis Rams. The Birds have not lost at home this season. The Rams allow an average of 28.3 points per game and the Eagles average more than 30 points scored per game, however they failed to score on offense last week. The offensive line needs to keep Nick Foles protected and Foles must be more sharp with his reads and throws. St. Louis’ defensive line is very strong when rushing the passer and I believe we are in for another tough game from the Eagles offensively. We should not forget that the Rams had a bye last week, so they’ve been preparing for this encounter for two weeks. I’d guess the Philadelphia Eagles will win in the end, but it will be very, very close.
Eagles 23, Rams 20