Philadelphia Eagles Can Actually Beat The New England Patriots Next Week

You heard me! I’m saying this right here and now. The Philadelphia Eagles can beat the New England Patriots this coming Sunday. Will they? Probably not, but good golly gosh, they can.

First thing’s first, the Patriots have finally lost a game. It only took 11 weeks to happen, but, alas, it happened. Brock Osweiler (not Peyton Manning) and the Denver Broncos put a huge damper on the Patriots’ season by ending their streak of perfection. However, New England ended up losing a lot more than just the game against Sunday night. All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with what initially looked to be a pretty nasty injury to his right knee.

At first glance, it looked like certain ACL/MCL tear, but recent reports indicate that the injury is not believed to be serious. Still, that does not mean that Gronk is going to play against the Eagles in Week 13. Any time a player gets carted off the field, it’s best to assume that player is going to miss at least some time because of their given ailment.

Could I be wrong? Of course. Am I wrong? Probably, but, for right now, I’m going to make the assumption that Gronk will not be playing against Philadelphia next week and, if that prediction holds true, that will mean that the Patriots will be without their most important player not named Tom Brady.

On top of that, let’s not forget that New England is also dealing with injuries to Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Dion Lewis. While Lewis (ACL) is out for the rest of the year and Edelman (broken foot) will miss an extended amount of time, Amendola was questionable to play against Denver Sunday night, so it’s certainly possible that he can make a return against the Eagles.

Nevertheless, a game against the Patriots with Brady and Amendola is a far more manageable bout than a game against the Patriots with Brady, Amendola, Edelman, Lewis and Gronkowski.

Also, Keep in mind that Sam Bradford could make his return to the Eagles after suffering a concussion and shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins in Week 10. His return is not guaranteed, but it’s on the table. Bradford was questionable against the Lions on Thanksgiving, but it was ultimately decided that Mark Sanchez would lose–I mean, start–the game against Detroit.

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A Bradford return against New England would definitely give the Eagles a higher probability of victory than if Sanchez were to start. Before getting injured, Bradford was really starting to look comfortable in an Eagles uniform and was actually moving the offense pretty efficiently. Who knows if he would have been able to sustain that semi-decent play, but, nonetheless, Bradford is undoubtedly the better quarterback.

With the majority of New England’s playmakers out and a potential return of Sam Bradford taken into account, the Eagles could actually have a chance against the Patriots. I am in no way shape or form insinuating that the Eagles will win in Foxborough, but I am half confidently suggesting that the Eagles could win said matchup if the stars were to align correctly.

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