On Sunday, against Ron Rivera’s inferior Washington Commanders squad, the Philadelphia Eagles allowed Sam Howell and his pedestrian comrades to run roughshod all over the field and pile up 31 points.
For the sixth week in a row, the offense finished even or lost the turnover battle after giving up two fumbles inside the three-yard line, which eliminated an almost certain 14-point lead.
And yet, the Eagles led by two touchdowns with under two minutes to go in the game and ran their record to 7-1 with a 38-31 victory in the nation’s capital.
Once gained, it didn’t matter in the end that they played far from their best game. They did what they almost always do under Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni.
They won.
Outside of their meltdown against the New York Jets a few weeks ago, the Eagles have piled up victories in the soft part of their schedule, with solid victories over the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams mixed in, too.
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But now comes the crucible, the six-game portion of their schedule that would melt the faces of most NFL teams.
- Week 9: Cowboys (5-2)
- Week 10: BYE
- Week 11: @ Chiefs (6-2)
- Week 12: Bills (5-3)
- Week 13: 49ers (5-3)
- Week 14: @ Cowboys (5-2)
- Week 15: Seahawks (5-2)
That’s a combined record of 26-12 and a.684 winning percentage from those five opponents. Daunting, to be sure, but how much is there for Eagles fans to fear?
The Cowboys have flashed dominance this season, and the Eagles will play their fiercest division rivals twice over the next seven weeks. Dallas has some pretty notable home/road splits through their first seven games.
The likeliest scenario is the Eagles splitting with the Cowboys, and given the fact Philadelphia hasn’t won in Dallas since 2017, it’s likely they win this week and lose in Dallas in Week 14.
San Francisco, meanwhile, is driving the struggle bus, hindered by a suddenly shaky defence and QB Brock Purdy, who has been lousy for three weeks in a row.
- @ Cleveland: 12-for-27, 125 yards, 1 TD/1 INT, 55.3 rating
- @ Minnesota: 21-for-30, 272 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 81.5 rating
- vs. Cincinnati: 22-for-31, 365 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 94.2 rating
That rating against Cincy looks alright, but those two interceptions were killer picks late in the game that sealed their third straight loss, dropping them into 2nd place in the NFC West.
There is also real concern that Purdy could be dealing with concussion issues after having his head slammed to the ground on Sunday. After their bye this weekend, the Niners have another tough matchup in Jacksonville against the Jags, too.
Perhaps that Week 13 home game won’t look quite as scary as it did a few weeks ago. Maybe it will. We’ll see!
Going into Kansas City to play the Swifts, er, the Chiefs, is going to be a monumental task, but K.C. and Patrick Mahomes are not invulnerable. They’ve lost twice this season, including a shocking 15-point upset at the hands of the Denver Broncos this week.
Divisional games may be very strange at times, but the Eagles were able to surprise the Commanders and win their game, while the Chiefs were losing to their divisional upstarts. Although the Chiefs will and ought to be favorites in this Super Bowl rematch, the score will be tight.
At Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles will take on the inconsistent Bills, which should provide them a clear advantage.
Josh Allen and Buffalo have been all over the place this season; they have lost in overtime against the Jets in New York, at home against Jacksonville, and in New England—a location the Eagles have already won.
In addition, they have destroyed the Raiders, Commanders, and Dolphins, although they have only just managed to win against the terrible Giants and
Although the Bills are not a dominant team, they can defeat any team on any given Sunday. The Eagles, however, are superior and will be favored.
Seattle, at last. They were defeated by the Bengals in Week 6 and the Rams at home on opening day. They have defeated the following opponents: Detroit in overtime (excellent! ), Carolina at home, the Giants in New York, Arizona at home, and Cleveland in Seattle.
The Eagles will undoubtedly face a difficult opponent when they travel to the Pacific Northwest, where they will probably be the underdogs. With so much that can happen between now and Week 15, I’m not sure what to think of the Seahawks just now.
This portion of the schedule will certainly be a challenge for the Eagles, but the other top teams in their conference will have similar gauntlets.
The Cowboys:
- Week 13: vs. Seattle
- Week 14: vs. Eagles
- Week 15: Buffalo
- Week 16: Miami
- Week 17: vs. Detroit
The 49ers:
- Week 10: Jacksonville
- Week 11: vs. Tampa
- Week 12: Seattle
- Week 13: @ Eagles
- Week 14: vs. Seattle
- Week 16: vs. Baltimore
- Week 18: vs. Rams
In the end, the Eagles are currently the best team in the league; they are incredibly consistent, have the ability to overcome significant deficits, and are resilient in the face of difficulty, unlike any other NFL club. Their forthcoming schedule is nothing to be afraid about. More than the Birds should fear seeing anyone on their schedule, most teams should be afraid to see “Philadelphia” on theirs.
Although it doesn’t guarantee that Sirianni’s team will escape unhurt throughout the following seven weeks, nobody should be alarmed by it either. This is a good football team—possibly the best in the league—and even with their 3-3 record during this run, they are 10-4 going into the final month of the season.
The Eagles are going to be fine. Sit back and enjoy what should be some incredible football over the next two months.
