Saturday, January 10, 2009

Just how far will the Philadelphia Eagles go?



Most observers would agree that the Philadelphia Eagles are hot....Just how hot is the question? As the number 2 seeds catch a break in matchups on most years in the way the NFL Playocffs seed, the Eagles are left to test their late season and playoff success on the NFC East leading New York Giants. Yes, another brutal NFC East matchup. The two teams split their two games which was relatively close in Philadelphia during Week 10.

However, it the Eagles can play the way they did against the Giants in their late season matchup at the Meadowlands, then they could have a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset and finding theselves one step from the Super Bowl. However, their performance against Minnesota --a team that also got hot down the stretch-- was an indication of how far the Vikings have come given how hard it was for Philly to bust through the line of scrimmage until they finally broke a screen pass out into the open-field for a touchdown. The Giants will have a healthy and rested Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins this time around which will make it very tough for them to run on. If the Eagles rely too heavily on their passing game, can the Giants generate a significant pass rush this time? Philadelphia's pass protection and McNabb's mobility may be key in their ability to convert downs into scoring drives in this huge matchup.

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