Hi Friends!
I'm writing this blog Tuesday, the morning after the Monday night game in which our Eagles defeated the NFC East rival Washington Redskins to bring the Eagles record to 6 & 1, so I'm working on three hours sleep. What a huge win that really puts some distance between the Skins and the Cowboys as the Birds now have a 2.5 game lead on both of them. It didn’t come without costs though, as the Eagles lost perennial all pro left tackle Jason Peters to what looks like a season-ending knee injury. They also lost linebacker Jordan Hicks to what also looks like a torn Achilles. Hicks was playing great ball and probably would have been named to the Pro Bowl, so we lost two of the team’s best players. I know it's overstated, but it's a reality and injuries in the NFL are part of the game, so the next man has to step up and earn his paycheck.
Hopefully Mychal Kendricks will be healthy enough to return to his linebacker position this Sunday to offset the loss of Hicks. Kendricks has been playing lights out this year, but he also has a history of being injured, so how much can the Birds count on him the remainder of the season? I know one thing: the team cannot keep sustaining all these devastating injuries, because sooner or later it will too much to overcome. For the first quarter in Monday night’s game, it looked like the Eagles were in a fog as the Redskins QB Kirk Cousins marched the Skins up and down the field and Washington's defense seemed to have Carson Wentz and company figured out. Well that didn't last long as towards the middle of the 2nd quarter it looked like someone flipped a switch and the Eagles sprung to life. I am absolutely running out of adjectives to describe Carson Wentz as it seems every game he does something amazing and indescribable, such as that play in last night’s game. It was on a 3rd & long and Wentz was in the pocket when it collapsed and we all thought for sure he was sacked and the Eagles would have had to punt the ball back to Washington....WRONG!
The packed house here in the Locker Room was brought to its feet with what can only be described as a Houdini-type move Wentz used to escape and scramble for the first down. This place was crazy all night with WFMZ TV here filming live and when Wentz popped up and signaled first down this joint exploded and we all started chanting “Houdini! Houdini! Houdini!” Wentz is the real deal folks, and his stats are off the charts. He's a winner and has the team on a roll and also has Eagles Nation in a euphoric state as we head into the home stretch. The playoffs seem to most certainly be in reach. The Eagles
have the best win/loss record in the entire NFL and have even the most skeptical critics believing the Birds are one of the best, if not THE best team in the league. It certainly is a lot of fun watching this young team achieving greatness, and it's only going to get better as we go along. It was a total team win and the Eagles have another home game this week when the San Francisco 49ers visit Lincoln Financial field. The 49ers have yet to win a game and are coming off a drubbing losing to those Dallas Cowboys by a score of 40-10. That being said, keep in mind they are still an NFL team and as the saying goes...on any given Sunday anything can happen, so they must be taken seriously.
What To Look For In This Week’s Game:
The 49ers along with the equally inept Cleveland Browns are the only two NFL teams without a win, as they both have 0 & 7 records. Those glory days when the 49ers were contenders seemingly every year are long gone as the team is definitely in a re-building mode. The niners are now coached by Kyle Shanahan, who's in his first year as a head coach. I'm sure that it's been a very frustrating job for Shanahan thus far as the 49ers are a really bad team. Usually I give you three things that I look for in a game, but this week I'm just gonna throw some stats at you.
The 49ers average 317 yards per game on offense; the Eagles average 381 yards per game on offense. The 49ers average only 96 yards per game rushing; the Eagles average 132 yards per game rushing. The 49ers defense allows an average of 393 yards per game; the Eagles defense allows an average of 340 yards per game. The 49ers defense allows an average of 135 rushing yards per game; the Eagles defense allows an average of only 67 yards rushing per game. The 49ers have Brian Hoyer at quarterback, and he's in a tough spot with too few pieces around him. In fact, the only player on the 49ers offense that is a concern is former Redskin receiver Pierre Garcon and the Eagles will have to watch him. The niners running backs are Carlos Hyde and the veteran Tim Hightower; neither of these two scare me. The Eagles defensive front has to be chomping at the bit to have the opportunity to go against them this Sunday.
As of this writing, the Eagles are favored by 14 points, and that is likely to increase come game time. This game doesn't bode well for the niners as they must travel from the west coast and come into the "Linc" in front of a frenzied loud crowd. The injuries to Peters and Hicks are troublesome, and we'll see how coach Doug Pederson plugs the holes to replace these two great players. The Eagles are head and shoulders above the 49ers in talent and it would absolutely SHOCK me if the 49ers would find a way to come out with a win. I have the Eagles winning this game...big time. Check in with me next week when I look back at this game and look ahead to our next game against the Denver Broncos. As always, until then I wish you...
Love, Luck, Lollipops and Linguini,
Barry "The Hatchet" Vagnoni
Fly Eagles, Fly!
