How 'bout them Cowboys?!
The Eagles continue to win games they probably shouldn’t win, but the wins are taking their toll. This team desperately needs a few weeks of good health or they’re going to limp into the playoffs and get roasted in round one.
Round two.
Giants @ Eagles in the wildcard round is looking like an inevitability at this point. It’s going to be so annoying when the Eagles knock the Giants out of the playoffs AGAIN. (It would the third time in 5 years: 2006, 2008, 2010, like clockwork. Gah!!!)
Any Eagles fans pissed off that the Giants get a neutral-field game instead of an away game tomorrow night? I saw one of the pregame guys mention that. As a Giants fan I am annoyed by the shortened week, but I suppose getting the away game commuted to a neutral site is probably an even trade.
Any thoughts?
The Eagles have had the Giants’ number for a few seasons now, but this year would be really tough. There’s no way this Eagles defense is going to be able to make a run deep into the playoffs. I’d hate to see the Giants in game one.
It’s not at all close to an even trade. Teams play on Monday all the time and end up okay for a Sunday game. But Minnesota is so much better at home that it’s almost like the Giants suddenly get to play a totally different team now. Especially considering that neutral field isn’t so neutral; it’s the home of a division rival. I can guarantee you that the Cowboys, Giants, or Redskins would get visitor treatment in a “neutral site game” in Philly.
Well, this thread is just about buried. Frankly, it’s an embarrassment that the NFC North thread has four times as many posts as this thread dedicated to the pride of the NFL. So let’s play some revival.
The Eagles are in the driver’s seat for the division. I believe their magic number is currently one. One win or one Giants loss and they take the division. That’s fantastic! I thought the Eagles would struggle a bit this season and end up 8-8 as Kevin Kolb grew up behind center. And now they have a very good chance at winning the division and also taking a first round bye.
To get that bye, the Eagles have to win out and the Bears have to lose one game between the Jets and Packers. Unfortunately, the Jets are pretty much locked into their spot at #6, so they don’t have anything to play for. That leaves the Packers, who very much are playing for their playoffs. They have to win out to get in. That NYG/GB game coming up will essentially determine who goes in as the #6 seed, though it isn’t 100%.
The Eagles can even still earn the #1 seed! Atlanta has to lose twice though, so probably not. But, there are still some really interesting (viable) scenarios. Like Tampa beating NO in week 17 and stealing the #6 seed. They would face the Eagles in Philly if the Eagles went 1-1 and Chicago 2-0 the rest of the way. Or the Giants winning out and the Eagles losing out and then the Eagles would have to go on the road to the Giants in week one. Or, same scenario, except Tampa beats NO in week 17… and the Eagles miss the playoffs entirely. Throw in Chicago finishing 1-1 and the Giants get a first round bye. :eek:
The likeliest scenario to me results in Chicago getting the #2 and the bye, and the Giants going to Philly to face the Eagles. That’s a nightmare scenario for me, even considering the 6 game winning streak. New York has really played better than the Eagles for the better part of their two games so far, and aside from 8 very incredible, fantastic minutes, they’ve shut Vick down. I can’t imagine this Eagles team, down three defensive starters at key positions, could beat a good Giants team three times in a season, even at home.
The dream scenario is unlikely, but still somewhat reasonable. After a pretty crushing loss to the Eagles, the Giants try to recover but are beaten on the road by Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers back and hungry. For some reason the Jets show up and beat Chicago on the road. The Giants, then in danger of missing the playoffs and with the New York media bearing down on them for yet another December choke, implode and lose to the Redskins on the road in week 17. The Bucs man up and shock New Orleans in New Orleans. The Eagles win out, grab the #2, and face the winner of Tampa vs. Seattle/St. Louis in round two. Atlanta takes care of Brees and the Saints, and the Eagles, led by a very eager, very hungry, and very familiar Michael Vick, go to Atlanta and beat the Falcons again. Super Bowl bound!
I actually think this Eagles team could make it to the Super Bowl with all their weapons, despite their injuries on defense. Their run defense is absolutely outstanding, and while their offense sometimes relies too much on the big play, Michael Vick makes those plays so much more common that their offense is so hard to stop consistently. If the Eagles get that #2 and get to stay at home, I’m fairly confident they’ll visit Atlanta in the NFC Championship game. And I’m not afraid of Atlanta. Not with this Eagles team. Not led by Vick. But if they have to go to Chicago and that shitty field again, or have to face the Giants, they’ll go home. Pretty interesting either way.
I agree with almost everything in your post, especially this. This is the first year I’ve ever felt that a running QB had a shot to win the Superbowl. Possibly because Vick isn’t even really a running QB anymore; now he’s a QB who can run. Still, he has more than 300 yards rushing so he qualifies as somebody I would normally automatically think can’t win it all. He’s different now, though.
Where I disagree with you is that the Jets have everything to play for. It’s them against the world because the world is mocking their coach’s sex life. I expect the foot fetish videos to galvanize the team. Also, neither Rex nor his team strike me as the kind of candy-asses who shut it down heading into the playoffs like those sissy girls over in Indianpolis.
As I said a couple weeks ago, Giants @ Eagles in the first round is looking like an inevitability. The funny thing is that neither of us like our team’s chances in that game. Someone will be pleasantly surprised.
Game over.
Hey look, the wrongest post I ever made. I think every single word is wrong. heh.
Leaving aside the possibly-moot nature of the post (and given the state of the NFC and the NFL as a whole, I wouldn’t count anyone out just yet), and because this IS the Dope and there’s no nit too small to be picked, I went and checked Steve Young’s stats, and sure enough he had 300+ yards 5 out of 8 years.
Not when he won the Superbowl.
Yeah, he had 293 that year.
Exactly.
Any NFC East snubs for the Pro Bowl? I bring this up because I saw an interesting post on an Eagles blogabout how LeSean McCoy was shafted and deserved a Pro Bowl nomination. He’s currently the first alternate.
I think he clearly deserved a spot over Steven Jackson, based on his stats. Considering his yards per carry and his ability in the passing game (both as a receiver and as a blocker), I think he’s every bit as deserving as Peterson and Turner, as well. The total yards stat indicates that McCoy was a lot more comparable in value as the others than most, or even I, would have thought. And, hey, McCoy’s DVOA is better than all three, too.
Kinda interesting to see just how few of the top performing RBs this season were in the NFC.
Jason Garrett is the head coach … no longer “interim.”
On the one hand, he was part of the problem.
On the other hand, he has improved performance since taking the reins.
Well, Jerry denies having made a decision yet. I thought there was an exemption for ‘coaches in waiting’ from the Rooney rule, but that doesn’t appear to be so. I like the increased reps during the week but this team needs something big on defense. The Cowboys scored at least 20 points in 13 games. You can’t be a playoff team giving up over 27 points a game. Including 111(:eek:) over three consecutive games. Only 7 teams scored more than the Cowboys, who ended up tied with the 10-6 Giants for points scored.
I think the O-line could use an upgrade or two, but a lot of work needs to be done on the defense. I’m hoping Sean Lee can help get more production from the ILB spot, but we need some more talent at DE and Safety. Despite the signing of Kris Brown, I think that Buehler has done a fine enough job for a guy in his first year kicking in the NFL. I’m getting tired of the Cowboys giving up on young kickers and watching them go off to jobs with other teams while the Vanderjacks of the world come to Dallas to have their careers die.