At the end of the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles season, it was clear that—whjile the team was good—they were still not of the same caliber as the elite teams in the NFC. The following statements were beyond dispute:
- The offense wasn’t good enough to beat the elite defenses: Seattle, Arizona, San Francisco, etc.
- The defense wasn’t stout enough to shut down elite offenses: Green Bay, Dallas,
After an offseason of overhaul, how do the Eagles compare to their 2015 opponents? Which offenses this season will get over on the Eagles (presumably) improved defense? Which defenses will stymie Chip Kelly’s offense: with new pieces at running back, offensive line, wide receiver and, potentially, quarterback? After starting with the NFC South last week, we continue our summer look at the 2015 schedule with the AFC East.
New York Jets (Away)
A great many barstools coordinators in the Delaware Valley will write off this team because they managed just a 4-12 record last season. How soon they forget that Chip Kelly took over the Eagles in 2013 as a rookie head coach and, in two seasons, has managed 20 wins and a playoff birth. The point is this: an upgrade in coaching—if nothing else—is often enough to improve the lot of a ball club. Enter Todd Bowles. The former Eagles coach took over for Rex Ryan after spending the previous two years captaining one of the best defensive units in the NFL in Arizona. The defense, already stellar against the run, took a major step to solidify the back end by signing Darrelle Revis. Calvin Pryor should improve in his sophomore season. Fortunately, the Eagles will miss Sheldon Richardson in their week 3 Meadowlands matchup. Williams was suspended on July 2nd for violating the league’s substance abuse policy & will miss the first four games of the season. Even missing Richardson, the defense isn’t the problem for this team…
The Jets offense last season was an abject disaster. This was largely the result of poor play along the offensive line. Geno Smith is a train wreck on a weekly basis. They released Percy Harvin. They brought in Brandon Marshall. The RBs read like a list of late-round fantasy desperation-grabs. Ivory, Ridley, Powell, Stacy: find for me the reliable RB workhorse. The Jets’ offense isn’t going to dictate the outcome of this game. They just don’t have the talent to do so. An Eagles win or loss here will be determined by what happens when the Eagles have the ball & the Jets defense is on the field.
Miami Dolphins (Home)
While I think Ryan Tannehill is a decent QB, he just doesn’t have enough around him to make this an intimidating game. Does Kenny Stills scare you? Does Lamar Miller? They drafted hugely talented DeVante Parker and it is possible he is a key contributor by the week 10 meeting. The offensive line can’t pass block…or at least they didn’t last year. They didn’t particularly open the lanes for the run game either. The offense just isn’t there yet. Joe Philbin doesn’t have enough to keep up with an Eagles offense that has been top 5 in scoring each of the last two years.
The defense got significantly better this offseason. Last year, they were the classic example of a team that was poor in the secondary & made up for it by rushing the passer. With the addition of Ndamukong Suh, that fact isn’t likely to change this season. Couple with Cameron Wake, the pair will be a lot for the Eagles line to handle. If the new-look offensive line cannot hold it together, it will be a long day in South Philly for whoever the Eagles QB is. They made a number of offseason moves—both in free agency & the draft—to address the secondary. If any of those moves pan out, then the defense could be very good. Sound familiar?
New England Patriots (Away)
This is, perhaps, the one game that—above all others—fans will look at and chalk up as a loss. After all, this team did win the Super Bowl last year for the fourth time in the Brady/Belichick era. Tom Brady continues to succeed with little in the way of a supporting cast. Rob Gronkowski is an absolute star and one of the 5-6 most impactful position players in the NFL, sure. He can take over a game, definitely. But, he is the only consistent & reliable threat Tom Brady has. The WR corps is as good as Tom Brady makes them. The running game manages to get it done by scheme.
This team won a Super Bowl with Patrick Chung starting sat safety…let that sink in. They followed that up with signing Bradley Fletcher…let that sink in. Writing about the Patriots is infuriating. The lack of household names is astonishing: especially on defense. Yet, they win. This organization has made a dynasty out of role players because they have a head coach & quarterback combination that may very well go down as the best in the history of the NFL. The Eagles will face the Patriots in week 13: exactly when the Patriots hit their stride annually for the playoff run. You won’t find me going against the grain…this is a loss in Foxborough.
Buffalo Bills (Home)
Has any recently departed Eagle come under more scrutiny than LeSean McCoy? With the possible exception of DeSean Jackson, the answer is a resounding no. Despite being the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, McCoy could still be met with mixed reviews when he returns to Philadelphia in Week 13. McCoy was fantastic when he was here, make no mistake. However, he burned bridges on his way out of town by implying (heavily) that Chip Kelly is racist. Even more recently, McCoy displayed the suspect judgment Chip Kelly likely worried about: using social media as a platform to coordinate a secret-location orgy hosted somewhere in the greater Philadelphia area. In Buffalo, McCoy may well be on his way to a great year. Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin & Charles Clay will be enough to keep the extra defender out of the box. Fred Jackson will be able to spell Shady for some snaps to keep him fresh. There is talent on the offense. The worries—again, not unlike the Eagles—are at the quarterback position & along the offensive line. EJ Manuel, Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor, Matt Simms…oof.
Somewhere in Buffalo, there is likely someone arguing that the Eagles, while talented at a great many positions, just don’t have it at quarterback and have questions along the offensive line. Sam “Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, Tim Tebow…oof”, they’re saying. Those are fair criticisms & we have the self-awareness to acknowledge them here. Despite those concerns, can the Eagles move the ball & score on the Bills? It will be tough. The Bills defense didn’t get enough national attention last year. Rex Ryan, despite trading Kiko Alonso for McCoy, has himself a defense he can rely on in Buffalo. The front seven is stout against the run. Mario Williams, Marcell Darius, Jerry Hughes et al have really turned into a disrupting group. If the Eagles OL doesn’t have it together well enough to control the line of scrimmage in this week 13 game, then it means the Eagles are probably not a championship caliber squad. This will be a great late-season test for that unit. If they are vulnerable anywhere, it is in pass coverage. This could be a big game for the young pass catchers & Zach Ertz specifically.
Prediction time: 2-2 (should win both home games & lose a close one at the Jets)
