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[Teach]

The last I looked, the line on the Patriots vs. Eagles game, a-week-and-half away on Sunday, November 17, has moved slightly to Patriots (-3).

Yet, I believe the jury is still out. However, I must state, at this juncture, although I’m a long-time Patriots fan, I’m leaning in the direction of a Philadelphia Eagles.

May it please the sports-betting public: I’ll now present my rationale “brief” for an Eagles victory (I’ll do the same for the Patriots later in the week).
I’ll begin by saying that I’ve watched most of the Eagles highlights during the 2019 NFL season.

In a nutshell, I would classify the Eagles as a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” kinda team. Sometimes, the Eagles have looked like world-beaters, i.e., they destroyed the Jets in the opening game of the season (In hindsight, I suppose that’s not saying much). Yet they’ve also looked like “patsies,” particularly against their division rival, the Cowboys. In their favor, I will say this, the Eagles have looked better in recent games.

Make no mistake, this is a key NFL matchup, particularly for the Eagles, but also for the Patriots. For the Eagles the road to the playoffs may mean they must win the National Football Conference’s NFC East. The Eagles have two tough, must-win games ahead of them, first the Patriots and then the Seattle Seahawks. No easy task. The Eagles do have a rematch with the Cowboys late in the season, but that game will be meaningless if the Eagles can’t extend their win skein.

It is at this juncture I ask: “What are the keys for an Eagles victory over the Patriots?” First and foremost, Eagles quarterback, Carson Wentz, the North Dakota State product (remember the Patriots Steve Nelson) is major factor. He’s not the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, but he can run, if necessary. In fact, I’d label the 6-foot-5 inches Wentz as “an athlete”. He certainly can “gun” the football. Yet I will say that he doesn’t have the quickest release. In fact, he’s had some of his passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage (in one case, he had to break up a possible interception, himself).

One of Wentz’s major “weapons” is Zach Ertz. Ertz is good. Very good. In fact, I would put him at the top of receiving tight ends. Ertz is Wentz’s “go-to” guy in Eagles short-yardage passing situations. Oh, the Eagles have other weapons. In the running department there’s Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders (Sanders can also catch the football).

Defensively, the Eagles can be tough. Their defensive front has put lots of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. I wouldn’t rate their defensive secondary quite as highly.

If there is a major weakness, it may well be in Eagles special-teams play. There have been miscues.

Yet, the Eagles are playing at home at “The Linc.” They are formidable there. They’ve won all but one game at home, that loss coming against the Detroit Lions. It’s a game that they should have won. In that game, in the 2nd week of the season, the Eagles, late in the game, blocked a Lions’ field goal attempt. After the run-back, the Eagles appeared to have the ball inside the Lions 25-yead line with 1:40 to go; but they were called for a penalty that moved the ball back near the mid-field stripe (out of field goal range).

After two plays Wentz appears to have connected with Darren Sproles along the sideline, but Sproles was whistled for offensive pass interference. That’s all they wrote.

Finally, at least psychologically, as far as the Patriots are concerned, “The bloom is off the rose.” The undefeated-season mystique has gone by the boards. Some upcoming opponents, like sharks, are beginning to “smell blood in the water”. They see vulnerabilities. There is no invincibility. The Patriots have been taken down a peg or two.

In conclusion, the Eagles may do some of the same things the Ravens did. See Howard and Sanders run. “Run, run, run.” See Ertz catch. “Catch, catch, catch.” See the Eagles blitz. “Blitz, blitz, blitz.” Hey, much of this worked for Ravens, why not the Eagles. And, I posit: “If the Eagles can get out to an early lead, do the Patriots have the kind of team that can come from behind?” I have my doubts.