Patriots – Eagles Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?
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Prediction:
This one looked to be a dogfight when the schedule came out. The Eagles were coming off of back-to-back 10-6 seasons under Kelly and some pundits had them being in contention for the NFC crown with the additions of Bradford, Murray and Matthews.
It hasn’t worked out that way. Three losses in a row have poked holes in Kelly’s reputation and some players have been questioning him in the press. Worse, some players are even questioning the effort of their own teammates as they teeter on the edge of a complete collapse. Kelly was questioned about defensive coordinator Bill Davis’ job after Thanksgiving which is never a good sign.
With the weak NFC East this season, even at 4-7, the Eagles are still somehow in contention for the division. Will they rise up and play back to their potential and beat a more talented but beat-up 10-1 Patriots team?
There aren’t any signs of that happening this week. New England is always motivated for their opponents and after a loss they are particularly consistent with getting back on the winning track. They also have a 45-10 record vs NFC teams since realignment in 2002.
The Patriots should be able to run the ball on this Eagles defense, even given their struggles in doing so this season. That will open up some play action passes for Brady to take a few shots down the field in this one. Look for LaFell and Chandler to have solid days in the passing game and Blount to have a nice game running the ball.
The Eagles tempo on offense is both a blessing and disguise. When it’s working it can wear down opponents and give them a big advantage late in games. The flip side is when it doesn’t it puts your own defense in a bad position. The Eagles time of possession is really slanting towards their defense being left on the field for far too long. Kelly’s system works in college where they can dress a ton of players but in the NFL where they’re only allowed 46, it puts too much a burden on them.
It will be interesting to see how much Jamie Collins can play this week, especially with the tempo of the Eagles offense and how much time he’s missed. But I see Matt Patricia being very aggressive on early downs this week to put the Philly offense in obvious passing situations. After a loss home cooking is just what the doctor ordered. Brady and the offense get back on track this week. Patriots 30-14
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