It’s time for Eagles to flip switch before it’s too late
Enough of this.
If the Philadelphia Eagles are going to make a respectable showing after their first Super Bowl title, it’s time to do so. They have lost three of four. They turn over the ball too often and can’t make big defensive stops.
They are heavily injured physically and, perhaps psychologically, by a 4-6 record as they host the New York Giants (3-7) today.
“It’s uncharted territory a little bit,” coach Doug Pederson said. “I think the guys have really handled it well.”
New York has won two in a row to temporarily quiet the social media and tabloid complaints about Eli Manning. The veteran quarterback has shown that given time to throw — the O-line has vastly improved the past two weeks — he still can produce. Other games on tap are: Seattle (5-5) at Carolina (6-4): The winner could place itself in strong position for a wild card. Neither the Seahawks nor Panthers figures to catch their divi-
sion leaders, the Rams and Saints, respectively. A Seahawks loss clinches the NFC West for LA.
Carolina has lost two straight in entirely different manners, a blowout at the hands of Pittsburgh and then a one-point defeat at Detroit .
Tennessee (5-5) at Houston (7-3), Monday night: Not only are the Texans, winners of seven in a row and in charge of the AFC South, they’ve become a factor for a potential playoff bye. They’ll need to keep up the excellent work on both sides of the ball.
J.J. Watt has made an impressive comeback from basically two wasted seasons with 10 sacks and a seemingly non-stop presence around the ball. He could be particularly destructive if the Titans need to play Blaine Gabbert for the injured starting QB, Marcus Mariota.
Pittsburgh (7-2-1) at Denver (4-6): A sign of a contender that is playing poorly — very poorly at times — and still winning. The Steelers did that last week at Jacksonville, a game that could catapult them to bigger things in a division they already control.
Antonio Brown is tied for the league lead with 11 TD receptions and has at least one touchdown catch in eight consecutive games.
Denver comes off a stirring comeback victory at the Chargers and linebacker Von Miller comes off another one of his dominant performances with a key interception and his 100th sack.
Miami (5-5) at Indianapolis (5-5): A pair of .500 teams headed in opposite directions.
The Dolphins are reeling, coming off a bye after losses in three of four, but expect to have starting QB Ryan Tannehill back from a shoulder injury.
Indy is one of the NFL’s hottest teams with four consecutive victories. Green Bay (4-5-1) at Minnesota (5-4-1): Yet another prime-time appearance for the Vikings, who are 0-3 at night. Both teams are chasing the Bears and have wild-card aspirations, too.
If Minnesota doesn’t find a ground game, it’s likely doomed to being home in January; it ranks 31st. Green Bay allowed 173 rushing yards to the Seahawks last week.
New England (7-3) at New York Jets (3-7): Just what the Jets need: Tom Brady and the very annoyed Pats paying a visit.
New England played poorly at Tennessee before its bye, but wasn’t within light years of how badly the Jets performed in their 41-10 loss to Buffalo. While the Patriots are on pace for their millionth straight AFC East title (actually their 10th), the heat on Jets coach Todd Bowles.
Jacksonville (3-7) at Buffalo (3-7): The Jaguars had a chance to turn around their disappointing season
when they led Pittsburgh 16-0 last week. They folded, and now the questions intensify about the security of the coaching staff and quarterback Blake Bortles.
Arizona (2-8) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-3): The Chargers blew a chance to be tied for the AFC West lead with some suspect play calls and play-not-to-lose mentality late against Denver. Still, they are in excellent shape for a playoff berth.
Oakland (2-8) at Baltimore (5-5): With Joe Flacco sidelined against Cincinnati, first-round pick Lamar Jackson brought a running game to the QB position, something Flacco won’t be doing when he returns.
The Ravens rushed for 265 yards vs. Cincinnati.
Cleveland (3-6-1) at Cincinnati (5-5): The Bengals have been ravaged by injuries and seem headed for yet another down-year. disappointing season. But a win Sunday would keep them in the wild-card chase.
Neither team plays much defense, so while this won’t be Chiefs-Rams, it could keep the scoreboard lit.
San Francisco (2-8) at Tampa Bay (3-7): Not much to recommend here.
Bucs receiver Mike Evans has 957 yards receiving and can join Hall of Famer Randy Moss (six consecutive seasons) and A.J. Green (five) as the only players in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of their first five seasons.