Stephen A. Smith says there’s only one QB who can win in Philadelphia

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith believes that there is only one quarterback who can win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the 2018 NFL season, there may not be a more intimidating atmosphere than the home of the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. With a capacity of just under 70,000, the overwhelming crowd really seems to play a crucial part in the game. All of those years we’ve heard about the Seattle Seahawks 12th man, well, now we finally understand as Philadelphia is on that same level of pressure towards the visitors.

Even when the Eagles are on the road, the Philadelphia crowd tends to show up and show out. We saw it happen last year when the Eagles fan base practically made both games in Los Angeles the Linc of the West Coast. And even at Super Bowl LII, there was rumored to be a lot more Eagles green in the crowd in comparison to the New England Patriots fans.

Although the Eagles were good on the road, there’s undoubtedly no place like home when it comes to Philadelphia. Simply put, the Eagles are an absolute powerhouse at the Linc. Aside from a meaningless Week 17 game last year, the Eagles were unbeaten at home. That includes two playoff games as well.

Considering the fact that the Eagles are now Super Bowl champions, the hostile environment will only get even crazier in 2018. You know it, we know it, and the national media knows it. So, when ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith discussed which quarterbacks could come into Philadelphia and defeat the defending champions, he made it quite clear that there’s only one guy for the job.

Who could get the job done?

If you made it through the giant build up, you would find out the Smith believes only Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers can win in Philadelphia. Considering the Eagles do not have the Packers on schedule for 2018, the desired game would have to be in the playoffs.

Stephen A’s assumption isn’t too far-fetched. Rodgers has quite the track record against the Eagles as of late. The last time Rodgers visited the Eagles in Philadelphia was during 2016 when Doug Pederson was getting his feet wet as the team’s Head Coach. Although the Eagles had a stellar defense, Rodgers was hardly fazed by the Birds. He threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 victory.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and pretend like Rodgers can mirror his last performance against the Eagles, though. This defense has upgraded tremendously since the 2016 season. Aside from Tom Brady in the Super Bowl shootout, opposing quarterback’s have not fared well against the Eagles. That’s not to say that Rodgers can’t do well against the Eagles, but it’s going to take a lot more than No.12 to win in Philadelphia nowadays.