One reliable source still believes Philadelphia Eagles will win NFC East
Forget the .500 record after eight games. One reliable source still believes the Philadelphia Eagles will win the NFC East. We agree with that sentiment.
Believe it or not, for as bad as it’s been in 2018 for the Philadelphia Eagles they’re still right in the thick of things. Sure, they’ve struggled. There have been collapses and bad play, but at 4-4, they’re entering a bye week with one very unique scenario.
They’ve lost four times in their first eight games, and they’re still just two games behind the division-leading Washington Redskins.
Now would be a good time to kick your feet up, log into any music streaming service that you use and play some ‘It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over’ by Lenny Kravitz.
This team still has the best quarterback in the division. They have the best coach in the division.
Here’s what we can say with certainty. If you have Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson, the Eagles are going to have a shot to win in every game that they play in.
That’s obvious. So are some things about their rivals. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Cue another expert’s opinion.
Here’s a quote:
"They have not won consecutive games yet this season. They have blown fourth-quarter leads twice. They are only .500 now because they beat another underachiever Sunday in a once-anticipated showdown in London. Three offensive line starters left that game injured, and one of them might miss most of the second half of the season.Do not count the defending-champion Eagles out of it yet, though. To answer the somewhat dumb question they raised last week after choking away a game at home to the Panthers: everybody still expects a lot from them, for good reason."
We agree, but that’s Steele’s take. Here’s ours:
The Redskins:
At 5-2, the Redskins are alone atop the NFC East. Their quarterback is Alex Smith. Their best running back is a broken-down Adrian Peterson. Sure, ‘A.P’ is still better than a ton of the running backs in the league, but fatigue could come down the line as he is aging.
Philly still has to play them twice this season, and they swept them a season ago. We’ve also seen hot starts by Washington before. More often than not, they’ve fizzled late.
ITI Prediction: Philly sweeps the ‘Skins.
The Cowboys:
The Dallas Cowboys don’t look like the best team in the NFC East. They just don’t. Now, get this. They just made a questionable move to acquire Amari Cooper, and everyone believes Jason Garrett should be run out of town.
Dallas, as always, has to many issues at the top to be considered a serious late-season contender.
ITI’s Prediction: ‘The Birds’ are a better team than the Cowboys, and they’ll beat them twice.
The Giants:
Imagine giving your star receiver the type of contract you typically give a quarterback and then having to hear that receiver hint over and over again that he isn’t happy with your organization or his current situation.
Related Story. Is Josh Adams the Eagles' new answer at running back?. light
That’s exactly where the New York Giants are. They’re in the NFC East’s cellar. They can’t seem to build any momentum, and nothing suggests they’re a playoff team, even with that $95 million dollar receiver and with, arguably, the best young running back in the league.
ITI’s prediction: Philly’s already beaten the Giants on the road, and they should beat them in Philly.
Next. Did Clement let Roseman down before trade the deadline?. dark
Yes, we’re going on a limb here, but we believe, even with their injuries and issues, the Eagles can sweep their divisional rivals, There’s a lot of football to be played, and the NFC East is one of the NFL‘s weakest divisions.
The door isn’t anywhere close to being shut on the Eagles in 2018. It isn’t wide open, but it isn’t shut either.