December 11, 2015
Ed Zurga/AP
On Sunday, Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy will play his first game as a visitor at Lincoln Financial Field.
Have you ever heard the term "old-man strength?" Well, it doesn't just apply to physical strength; it also applies to mental strength. And my dad has quite a bit of it.
He'll never challenge my sports knowledge -- he knows better than that. In fact, he often calls me on the phone when he's hanging out with friends and family because they're trying to think of that guy who made that play that one time. But the one area in which I can not touch him is the Eagles. Not so much the history or even the current roster, but when it comes to what's going to happen in any given game, he actually knows more than anyone I've ever met.
It likely comes from a lifetime of watching the Eagles lose games they're supposed to win and win games they're supposed to lose. I can't compete with the level of experience he has there. So when he told me the Bucs would beat the Eagles, I took it with a grain of salt. Then he said the Lions would destroy them on Thanksgiving and I started listening a little more attentively.
“Philadelphia Eagles Suicide Prevention Hotline. How can we help you?” That’s how my dad just answered the phone.
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) November 27, 2015
Last weekend, he told me with certainty that the Birds were going to upset the Patriots. And he wasn't even drinking yet. Still, I didn't heed his advice and predicted a blowout loss for Sam Bradford and Co.
And after the Eagles jumped out to a 35-14 lead over New England, I started to realized that I know very little about football and decided that if his prediction turned out to be true, he would make my pick for me this weekend.
If the Eagles wind up winning this game, my dad will be making my prediction for me next week against the Bills.
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) December 6, 2015
So true to my word, I let my dad make my pick this weekend. And, for once, I may actually get one right.
Here's what you need to know about Sunday's matchup at the Linc.
TV: CBS (Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots) | RADIO: 94.1 WIP
SPREAD: EVEN | TOTAL: 47.0 (via topbet.eu)
Last week, the entire Bleeding Green Nation staff picked against the Eagles. This week, it was more split, with four of the seven writers taking the Bills over the Birds. Over at the Philadelphia Inquirer, both Jeff McLane and Zach Berman think the Bills will beat the Eagles on Sunday, but both are predicting it to be a very close game.
As for the national outlets, here's how they see the Eagles' Week 9 matchup playing out...
• Only four of the 12 ESPN.com analysts like the Eagles this week.
• Elliot Harrison of NFL.com is predicting a 30-28 loss for the Eagles.
• They're split over at CBSSports.com, where four of their eight writers are going with Philly and four are going with Buffalo.
• And if you want to go by the numbers, Nate Silver and the FiveThiryEight crew think the Eagles should be a 1.5-point favorite and give them a 55 percent chance of winning.
And now, our staff picks:
The Eagles' win over the Patriots a week ago was huge for them, obviously, but it was largely on the strength of three return touchdowns. Credit the Birds for making those plays, but the Patriots otherwise outplayed the Eagles from scrimmage despite being without their second- and third-best players on offense and some key contributors on defense.
Chip and the gang still have plenty to prove after that three-game stretch in which they lost to a garbage Dolphins team and got destroyed both by the Buccaneers and Lions. Their win over the Pats put some cologne on that stink, but I'm not sold yet that this is a good football team.
Is there any piece of content on this site more worthless than my weekly Eagles predictions? I can’t imagine.
Here is my thinking: Unlike the Patriots, the Bills have a legitimate big-play receiver on the outside in Sammy Watkins. The Eagles have largely struggled with those guys, and even though they will probably move the ball against Rex Ryan’s terrible defense, I think Buffalo gets the win. But again, I know less than Jon Snow.
Here’s another prediction: Shady McCoy, who will try approximately 50,000 cutbacks in an attempt to stick it to his old team/coach, will put the ball on the ground at least once.
My dad may have made the pick, but he left it up to me to explain the reasoning behind the prediction.
LeSean McCoy returns to the Linc for the first time since being traded this offseason for linebacker Kiko Alonso. But, according to my dad, neither of those players will be the ones to decide the game. Nor will it be Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins or any of the Eagles players you might expect.
Instead, Bradford will lead the offense to a come-from-behind win and the game will come down to a Caleb Sturgis field goal. That's right, Caleb Sturgis will save the Birds season -- for at least another week -- and keep them alive in the NFC (L)East
Now, I know what you're thinking -- Matt, he's let all the power go to his head and has officially lost it.
But you probably would've said the same thing last week when he predicted a win over the Patriots.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin
