September 29, 2017
The Eagles squeaked out a win in Week 3 against a divisional opponent, improving to 2-1 on the season and, more importantly, 2-0 against the NFC East.
This week, they'll travel to Los Angeles for their second AFC West road game in the first month of the season. Their first (Week 2 vs. Kansas City) was their only loss so far this year, but unlike the undefeated Chiefs team they face in Arrowhead, the Chargers enter Week 4 still looking for their first win of the season after falling to the Chiefs themselves in their most recent game.
They may be playing in a new city, but Philip Rivers is still dangerous. And the Eagles depleted defense could have its work cut it out against the Chargers.
[Also, please welcome Kyle Neubeck to our weekly predictions post. He started with us this week and if you haven't been reading his Sixers stuff, I highly suggest you start doing so right now.]
TV: FOX | RADIO: 94.1 WIP
SPREAD: Chargers (-1) | TOTAL: 43 (via Bovada)
Here’s how we see Sunday’s game playing out:
The Chargers are 0-3, but they are nowhere near as bad as their record would indicate. This is a very dangerous team with a good quarterback and two stud edge rushers. I believe that they will find ways to exploit the Eagles' banged-up defense and get pressure on Carson Wentz defensively.
The primary thing working against the Eagles this week is the desperation factor for the Chargers. At 0-3, they need this game to avoid their season going down the tubes. And unlike the Giants, who entered last week’s game against the Eagles looking like a complete dumpster fire, the Chargers have at least looked competitive through their first three games.
Sunday’s game will come down to a familiar talking point for Philadelphia fans: the run game. The Chargers have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL through the first three weeks, allowing almost 147 yards per game. If Philadelphia establishes and sticks with the run throughout the game, they should have no problem controlling the clock and getting a victory, particularly in front of a less-than-hostile Los Angeles crowd.
This being the Eagles, I assume it won’t be that simple. But they should come out of L.A. with a win one way or another.
I'm 3-0 picking Eagles games this season, so you can pretty much bank on this one being totally wrong.
When I first saw that the Birds were actually underdogs in this contest, it was somewhat of a surprise. Then, I remembered that although they were able to come away with a win last Sunday against the Giants, they did so in spite of themselves – you really don't have any business winning if you allow 20 points in the fourth quarter, especially when it could've been even worse had Sterling Shepherd held onto the ball for a few seconds longer.
Furthermore, they actually lost quite a bit.
Against San Diego, the Eagles will be without Fletcher Cox and Darren Sproles. The former should be back in action before too long, but the latter is done for the season. And losing its most versatile back is not going to help an offense that is still trying to figure out how to best utilize its running backs.
Like Jimmy said, the Chargers are better than their record indicates. I see the Birds falling back to .500 on the season after this one.
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