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Topic: EAGLES....................Week 14 Analysis (Read 288 times) |
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
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EAGLES....................Week 14 Analysis
« on: Dec 5th, 2003, 12:31pm » |
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This could be one for the ages. The Eagles-Cowboys rivalry heats up again as the 9-3 Eagles take on the 8-4 Cowboys. Don't know what Dallas is like, but there is a frenzied atmosphere in Philadelphia surrounding this game.
The weather in Philly is nasty, with snow and ice falling all day Friday and Saturday. The Army-Navy game is being played at the Linc on Saturday, so the field should be pretty messy come Sunday. PA Governor Ed Rendell will be at the stadium, so if there is any snow left in the stands, look for Bill Parcells to be the target of some good-natured snowballs. (While sitting in the stands, a pre-mayoral/gubernatorial Rendell encouraged some other fans to try to hit then Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson with snowballs - leading to yet another black eye for the Eagles fans.)
The 9-3 Eagles are getting healthier and healthier. Bobby Taylor, Brian Dawkins, and John Welbourn are all listed as probable for this game. Dallas only lists Dexter Coakley on the injury list as probable, so they are in great health for this time of season.
Because of the weather, the offenses of both teams may be limited a bit. The Eagles may not be able to take advantage of Brian Westbrook's quickness nearly as much, but Dallas may find Carter's quickness and Galloway's speed to be neutralized as well.
This should turn out to be a nasty, ugly, in-your-face type of game, with the defenses dominating. Dallas is well-rested, having last played in a Thanksgiving loss to Miami. They'll be inspired. The Eagles are a confident team who knows how to win. You won't want to miss this one.
Projections:
QB: McNabb was named offensive player of the month for November. His team was 5-0 and came back to life offensively. McNabb has been spreading the ball to every position over that time and has cut down on his turnovers dramatically from the beginning of the season. Look for a sub-par day from McNabb, because of weather and defensive opponent, but he'll still make some key plays.
McNabb: 16-29 140 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 4 carries-15 yards
RB: The Eagles have employed the most successful RBBC in the NFL this year. With poor weather conditions I'd imagine Staley could be the big producer for the week, but it's hard to predict who will do what.
Westbrook: 10 carries-44 yards, 2 catches-22 yards
Staley: 12 carries-65 yards, 1 TD, 3 catches-26 yards
Buckhalter: 7 carries-25 yards
WR: The WR corps has picked it up as late, with the exception of Todd Pinkston, who has struggled all season. Thrash has been McNabb's favorite target amongst the wideouts, but has not had a big game by any means.
Thrash: 4 catches-41 yards
Pinkston: 1 catch-5 yards
Mitchell: 3 catches-27 yards
TE: As long as the defense keeps blitzing, the Eagles will probably keep their TEs in to block. Look for each of them to have a key catch for a first down.
Smith: 2 catches-27 yards
Lewis: 1 catch-9 yards
K: Akers has come on strong after not having many chances early in the season.
Akers: 1-1 XP, 2-3 FG
Defense: This should be a great game to start the Eagles defense. Dallas has trouble running the ball, and the Eagles should be able to improve their rush defense stats greatly this game. Carter probably won't be able to do much through the air either. There should also be a handful of sacks and turnovers.
Defense: 9 PA, 75 rush yards allowed, 160 pass yards allowed, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FR
Final Score:
Cowboys 9
Eagles 13
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
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Re: EAGLES....................Week 14 Analysis
« Reply #5 on: Dec 8th, 2003, 11:39am » |
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on Dec 5th, 2003, 12:31pm, Philly wrote:Projections:
QB: McNabb was named offensive player of the month for November. His team was 5-0 and came back to life offensively. McNabb has been spreading the ball to every position over that time and has cut down on his turnovers dramatically from the beginning of the season. Look for a sub-par day from McNabb, because of weather and defensive opponent, but he'll still make some key plays.
McNabb: 16-29 140 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 4 carries-15 yards |
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Actual: 19-35 248 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 1 carry-21 yards
McNabb had a great day. His numbers would have been even better, but his receivers dropped at least a half-dozen well-thrown balls on him. He commanded the game, especially in the second half and spread the ball around well.
Quote:RB: The Eagles have employed the most successful RBBC in the NFL this year. With poor weather conditions I'd imagine Staley could be the big producer for the week, but it's hard to predict who will do what.
Westbrook: 10 carries-44 yards, 2 catches-22 yards
Staley: 12 carries-65 yards, 1 TD, 3 catches-26 yards
Buckhalter: 7 carries-25 yards |
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Actual:
Westbrook: 6 carries-23 yards, 4 catches-48 yards, 1 TD
Staley: 2 carries-8 yards, 3 catches-22 yards, 1 TD
Buckhalter: 13 carries-115 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches-29 yards
Well, I just about nailed Staley's receiving stats, but was off on everything else. The field was in excellent condition. I was very surprised given the 12" of snow that fell and the Army-Navy game on Saturday. The RBs again took control of the game and had nearly 150 rushing yards on only 21 carries. Still a tough group to predict from week to week.
Quote:WR: The WR corps has picked it up as late, with the exception of Todd Pinkston, who has struggled all season. Thrash has been McNabb's favorite target amongst the wideouts, but has not had a big game by any means.
Thrash: 4 catches-41 yards
Pinkston: 1 catch-5 yards
Mitchell: 3 catches-27 yards |
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Actual:
Thrash: 4 catches-34 yards
Pinkston: 1 catch-23 yards
Mitchell: 3 catches-58 yards
I got the number of catches right for each of them. That's something... Anyway, the receivers were much more a part of the game plan, especially against Mario Edwards. They need to catch the ball better, however, as Pinkston and Mitchell both dropped easy receptions.
Quote:TE: As long as the defense keeps blitzing, the Eagles will probably keep their TEs in to block. Look for each of them to have a key catch for a first down.
Smith: 2 catches-27 yards
Lewis: 1 catch-9 yards |
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Actual:
Smith: 1 catch-6 yards, 1 TD
Lewis: 1 catch-28 yards
The numbers should look quite different as Smith dropped at least two other passes that were very catchable. Interestingly, Lewis has been the TE stretching the field the past couple weeks. But, as expected, both were used primarily as blockers against the Dallas Cover-Zero defense.
Quote:K: Akers has come on strong after not having many chances early in the season.
Akers: 1-1 XP, 2-3 FG |
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Actual: 4-4 XP, 2-2 FG
The Eagles scored a lot more than I expected. His two FGs were short ones on a very windy day. If your league gives points for tackles, Akers had an excellent one on a kickoff in the first half. He's only kicker from the neck down. In his head, he's a hard-hitting free safety.
Quote:Defense: This should be a great game to start the Eagles defense. Dallas has trouble running the ball, and the Eagles should be able to improve their rush defense stats greatly this game. Carter probably won't be able to do much through the air either. There should also be a handful of sacks and turnovers.
Defense: 9 PA, 75 rush yards allowed, 160 pass yards allowed, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FR |
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Actual: 10 PA, 150 rush yards, 93 pass yards, 3 sacks, 2 INT
The defense was a good play this week. They allowed more rushing yards than they should have, but Parcells got away from the running game and put the game in the hands of Quincy Carter, who promptly proceeded to lose it for him.
Quote:Final Score:
Cowboys 9
Eagles 13 |
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Actual:
Cowboys 10
Eagles 36
This was certainly a statement game. The Eagles have been very confident and business-like in their approach to each game, and the Dallas game, although being an emotionally charged game with a revenge factor, was no different. However, once on the field, the Eagles were clearly the more amped team. Even when the first half was not going well, there was no sense of frustration or nervousness on the Eagles part. In the second half, the Eagles were able to score on a drive immediately following an INT by Dallas. It took the wind out of their sails the team was unable to come back from that. While not a complete game by the Eagles, it was as close as they've had all year.
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