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November 12, 2017

What went right and wrong around the NFL for the Eagles on Sunday

On Week 10 of the NFL season, Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson, and the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles rested. Here's what went right, and wrong, around the league for the Eagles on Sunday:

What went right

The Falcons beat the Cowboys: Actually, the Falcons didn't just beat the Cowboys, they dominated them. With no Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys couldn't run the ball effectively, which in turn exposed the Cowboys' offensive line (specifically Chaz Green, who filled in for the injured Tyron Smith) in pass protection. The Cowboys couldn't block the Falcons' defensive line to save their lives, and they are in even bigger trouble next Sunday if Smith can't return to the lineup against the Eagles' front four. The Eagles are now three games up on the Cowboys in the NFC East.

 NFC EastRecord Div record Conf record 
 Eagles8-1 3-0 6-0 
 Cowboys5-4 2-0 4-3 
 Redskins4-5 0-3 3-4 
 Giants1-8 0-2 0-7 


Even if the Cowboys win next Sunday over the Eagles, it's going to be very difficult to overcome them in the standings the rest of the way.

What went wrong

The Saints beat the Bills: More accurately, the Saints clobbered the Bills 47-10, in Buffalo, where it was cold today. This team is very much for real, and perhaps the biggest threat to the Eagles in the playoffs.

The Rams beat the Texans: Then again, if you were to argue that the Rams are the biggest threat to the Eagles in the playoffs, I wouldn't put up much of a fight. They easily handled the Texans today, winning 33-7.

The Vikings beat the Redskins: The Redskins aren't a threat in any way this season, but the Vikings still are, as they are now 7-2, along with the Saints and Rams.

The Seahawks beat the Cardinals: Technically, this game was on Thursday, but we'll cover it here. The Seahawks are a very experienced playoff team, which makes them dangerous, but they lost Richard Sherman for the season.

The Packers beat the Bears: Ideally, the Packers would just go away, on the off-chance that Aaron Rodgers makes a miraculous recovery in time for the playoffs. The Packers might've been buried after today with a loss in Chicago, but they were able to stay alive against a divisional opponent on the road.

The 49ers beat the Giants: At this point, the more games the Giants are able to win, the better, for two reasons:

  1. At some point, the Giants are going to fire Ben McAdoo, who has clearly lost this team. The Eagles have to play the Giants again later this season, and it would be ideal if they could get them while McAdoo is still employed.
  2. The more games the Giants lose, the higher their draft pick will be, and the better the chances they'll have in landing whatever quarterback prospect they like best.

In summary, a lot of things went wrong, but one huge thing went right.


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