The Philadelphia Eagles do not seem to be soaring high this season. Chip Kelly was the head coach that the Eagles apparently needed, but appears to have traded for worthless players. For example, who is this guy Sam Bradford? Is he supposed to replace Nick Foles or help fill the Eagles injury roster? Bradford is like glass, and he is too much of an injury risk. So far this season the Eagles are 3-3 with Bradford as the starting quarterback, and it hasn’t been impressive. The loss to the Redskins was pretty embarrassing, and otherwise it has been mediocre. On opening day, Bradford threw for 336 yards and one touchdown against the Falcons, who the Eagles nearly beat. Okay, let’s stop being harsh on Bradford, he already exceeded my expectations, and I assumed he would have been injured by now.
Bradford is not completely to blame. The run game for the Eagles appears to be hibernating. Last time I checked, the Eagles signed the 2014 leading rusher in DeMarco Murray. When the Eagles faced the Cowboys on Sept. 20, Bradford was their leading rusher with nine yards. That’s not enough for a first down! Apparently, Kelly’s game plan is to utilize the mobility of his handicapped quarterback, rather than run hungry Murray. It was not surprising that the Eagles lost to the Cowboys. If you are an Eagles fan, it’s okay to make excuses that they are a new team and need to learn to play with each other. I understand, but there is no reason Kelly refuses to use Murray more.
However, the Eagles are making progress since their first three games. In their last three games, they looked like a different team. Lets start with the defense. The defense held the opponents in week five and six to 24 points compared to the 64 points the Eagles put up. Fletcher Cox has been making a statement with five sacks to lead the Eagles defense.
The turning point for the Eagles was when they faced the Saints. Bradford played like the Oklahoma quarterbacks the Rams drafted. He threw for 333 yards with two touchdowns. We cannot forget about his college roommate, DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 80 plus yards and one touchdown.
Lastly, the Eagles managed to win a division game against the hot Giants. The Giants came in with their heads high after winning their last game. When Romo was injured, the Cowboys were not predicted to finish in first and the Giants were favored. However, Eli Manning is not consistent. Some days he can defeat the undefeated Patriots, and some days lose to the worst team in the league. After the Eagles defeated the Giants, with the help of a pick six and great defense, they stated that they are contenders for first place in the NFC east.
The Eagles are not the favorite to win it all, but they certainly have the best chance to finish in first place, as long as the team stays healthy. Although I have little faith in Bradford, he has proven that he is capable of leading the Eagles through the playoffs. As we can see in the NFL, last year’s dominating teams like the Seahawks and Colts are struggling; meanwhile, the Jets are sitting in second place with a record over .500. The NFL seems to be skewed this season, so lets see how the rest of the season turns out. I believe the Eagles will finish the season 9-7 in first place.