Foles may not have a prayer against the Saints
The Philadelphia Eagles have St. Nick and he hasn’t let them down in the clutch. The problem on Sunday is New Orleans has a lot of Saints, and a stronger team. Nick Foles has been nothing short of superb in replacing Carson Wentz, first in the 2017 season when he guided Philly to its first NFL championship since 1960. And this season, with Wentz again injured, Foles helped the Eagles slalom their way to an NFC wildcard berth. Then, as in last February’s Super Bowl win over New England, he drove the Eagles to a late winning touchdown at Chicago. Can he keep it up? He’ll have to against Drew Brees and Co. in the Superdome, where the Saints annihilated the Eagles 48-7 on Nov. 18, Philadelphia’s only loss by more than seven points all season. From there, the Eagles have won six of seven, counting the 16-15 decision over the Bears last week. “Guys really understood what we needed to do, came together. They’ve jelled and here we are today,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. The Eagles are eight-point underdogs against New Orleans. It’s hard not to share the faith in Foles and the Eagles after seeing what they have done. Then again, looking at their secondary and how Chicago found lots of open room, it’s impossible not to believe in the home team.
Los Angeles Chargers (+4) at New England, Sunday
Let’s begin by mentioning the Chargers are the better team. Right now, they might be the best overall team in the league. Should they win at Gillette Stadium, we might be tempted to ride them all the way to and through Atlanta. However, Philip Rivers never beats Tom Brady (0-7 is quite an ugly number) and the Patriots are the only unbeaten home team this season. Plus, the weather could be a factor, which always favours New England. Patriots, 23-16
Indianapolis (+5) at Kansas City, Saturday
Last weekend’s most impressive squad? The Colts, by far. Indeed, during the last two months, it’s difficult to find any team that has been more dangerous and dynamic than Indianapolis. Andrew Luck, finally healthy, is playing at his highest level. The offensive line is a wall, the defence has become a force and the coaching is first rate. The Chiefs have so much going for them when they have the ball, led by Patrick Mahomes. They have hardly anything except a pass rush going for them on defence and Indy doesn’t allow sacks or even much pressure on Luck. Plus, the Colts are 4-0 in the playoffs against Kansas City. Colts, 26-24
Dallas (+7) at Los Angeles Rams, Saturday
Another prime-time showcase for Ezekiel Elliott. Todd Gurley, likely back from a knee injury, is crucial to the Rams advancing. Dallas has a solid enough defence to keep the creative Rams off-balance, especially if Gurley is limited. Still, we can’t see an upset here. Rams, 23-17 2018 record Last week: Against spread, 4-0; straight up, 2-2