What experts are predicting for Sunday’s Patriots-Eagles game
Can the Eagles repeat their Super Bowl LII victory this Sunday?
COMMENTARY
From the possibility of an undefeated season to maybe losing home-field advantage with a loss at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
That’s what’s at stake for the 8-1 Patriots, coming off both their bye week and their first loss of the season against the 7-2 Baltimore Ravens. With a win over Houston, coupled with a New England loss to Philadelphia, the Ravens would take over the No. 1 seed in the AFC by virtue of head-to-head results.
Then again, the whole playoff picture in the AFC has been sort of topsy-turvy. If the season ended today, the Kansas City Chiefs — those vaunted Chiefs — would host the Buffalo Bills in a wild card game. Before last night’s debacle in Cleveland, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have visited the Houston Texans. Now, it’s the Oakland Raiders in line for a playoff spot.
Remember when the Colts (5-4) might have been considered a favorite to meet the Patriots in the AFC title game? Yeah…
As far as the Patriots are concerned, the test in Philadelphia is a big one, especially considered their failed their first exam in Baltimore, their first quality opponent after weeks of facing Triple-A quarterbacks and Double-A squads of talent.
A hiccup? Maybe. Probably.
But a loss in Philly will rightfully sound off alarms.
This week’s predictions
Jimmy Kempski, Philly Voice: Patriots (-3.5). “When the line for this game first came out, I was very surprised that it was only 3.5 points. Once I dug into the Patri*ts a bit, however, I came away far less impressed than I would have imagined for a team with a +172 point differential. They are obviously very good, but they are decidedly not some kind of juggernaut. There are holes. The Eagles, in my view, have a significant advantage in the trenches on both sides of the ball, so I don’t see this matchup becoming a blowout, like so many of the Patri*ts’ other games this season. If the Birds can get their ground game going against the Patri*ts’ suspect run defense, they can shorten the game, and help keep it out of the hands of their abysmal receiving corps. Ultimately, it’s going to be difficult for the Eagles to score points, especially if Alshon Jeffery (ankle) is out. Even if Jeffery hasn’t been good this season, he at least might draw the assignment of Stephon Gilmore. Without Jeffery, or even if Jeffery plays but isn’t 100 percent, the Pats will/should just deploy Gilmore elsewhere, perhaps on Zach Ertz. I see a low scoring game, with the Patri*ts handing the Eagles a frustrating loss. The guess here is that T*m Brady won’t skulk off the field without shaking hands like a crybaby this time, if so.”
Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Inquirer: Eagles 23, Patriots 20. “Playing catch-up won’t be an option. The Eagles will need to keep pace with New England right out of the gate. The Patriots’ 87 first-quarter points are the most in the league. Their 153 first-half points are the third most. Their plus-105 halftime scoring differential is the biggest in the league. The 49ers are a distant second at plus-69. Teams that are trailing at halftime usually lose.”
Joe Giglio, NJ.com: Patriots (-3.5). “Craziest stat of the week: New England has allowed only 20 third-down conversions the entire season. With a below-average (and hobbled) receiving group, Carson Wentz will have to be precise vs. man-to-man coverage to convert enough to sustain drives. He’s not ready to do it.”
ESPN staff: All Pats.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 27, Eagles 23. “Both of these teams are coming off the bye. The Patriots need to get back on track after losing the last time out to the Ravens. I think they will. The Eagles need this game a lot more in terms of their division race, but I think the Patriots will find a way behind Tom Brady.”
CBS Sports staff: Five out of eight pick New England (-3.5). Six out of eight like the Patriots straight-up.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Patriots 27, Eagles 24. “The Patriots usually play well after a bye under Bill Belichick. The Eagles, however, are coming off a bye themselves, and Doug Pederson did do some great big-game coaching against Belichick in the Super Bowl a couple years ago. Tom Brady has the bigger advantage against a bad Eagles secondary while Carson Wentz draws a tough, deep Patriots secondary. Philadelphia will run well enough to stay in the game, but Brady will outduel Wentz with a game-winning drive.”
Tadd Haislop, Sporting News: Patriots 20, Eagles 17. “These teams are trending in opposite directions, with the Patriots having lost against their first legit opponent a couple weeks ago and the Eagles being on a two-game winning streak. They’re also both coming off a bye, and we all know what happened the last time Philadelphia and New England met after two weeks of preparation. Of course, none of that will matter since the Patriots still have NFL’s best scoring defense statistically and the Eagles rank in the bottom half of the league.”
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston: Patriots (-3.5). “It’s really hard to beat the Patriots without a receiving corps.”
MassLive staff: Pats across the board. “How many times will the Philly Special/Malcolm Butler be referenced during the broadcast? Over/under 20.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 26, Eagles 20. “When Bill Belichick has two weeks to get ready, he’s very hard to beat. Except, of course, when facing Doug Pederson in the Super Bowl. But the Pats are better than the Super Bowl LII team, and the Eagles aren’t as good as they were then.”
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 24, Eagles 10. “The Patriots’ defense should give Carson Wentz fits. I see New England winning this one big.”
USA Today staff: All in on the Patriots.
Five Thirty Eight: Patriots, 57 percent (-2).
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Patriots 27, Eagles 21. “The profile of each team has flipped since Super Bowl LII 21 months ago. The once high-flying Eagles are a station-to-station offense that will rely on a grinding running attack to overpower the Patriots. After ranking 31st in defensive efficiency back in the 2017 season, New England now relies on a big-play defense (first in turnovers, fourth in sacks) to carry a mediocre passing attack and the worst Patriots running game since they gave carries to Steven Jackson in an AFC Championship Game. Both teams are coming off a bye, making this a fascinating test for how two excellent coaching staffs try to fix their shortcomings while laying out their vision for how to get back to the big game.”
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