{"id":83204,"date":"2019-11-05T15:57:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"\/rcntv\/?p=83204"},"modified":"2023-04-19T20:37:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T20:37:39","slug":"birds-win-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/birds-win-east\/","title":{"rendered":"Birds Win the East"},"content":{"rendered":"

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right – the Eagles<\/a> will be the NFC East champs!\u00a0 Alright \u2013 maybe this is just wishful thinking, BUT the Eagles went to 5-4 after the win over the Bears<\/a> this past Sunday.\u00a0 Admittedly, it was not always pretty as the Birds left plenty of points on the table in the first half.\u00a0 Too many field goals and not enough touchdowns, but a win is a win in the NFL<\/a> \u2013 just ask the Dolphins<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Here is why they will win the NFC East:<\/p>\n

They are finally getting healthier<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0Darren Sproles came back and so did cornerback Avonte Maddox.\u00a0 DT Tim Jernigan played as did safety Andrew Sendejo.\u00a0 That leaves just Jason Peters and Nigel Bradham still on the sidelines.\u00a0 With a bye week this week, maybe they will all be back for the Patriots<\/a> and\/or the Seahawks<\/a>.\u00a0 Fortunately, both those games are at home and, after yesterday, the Patriots do not look invincible.<\/p>\n

The toughest part of their season is over.\u00a0 <\/strong>They will play Washington<\/a>, Miami, and the Giants<\/a> twice.\u00a0 And their fate could rest with a home game in Week 16 against the Cowboys<\/a>.\u00a0 That could be the game to truly determine the Division champion.<\/p>\n

Carson Wentz is healthy.\u00a0 <\/strong>He has certainly been hindered by the lack of quality wide receivers (even Alshon Jeffery dropped passes he should have caught on Sunday), but he is throwing the ball with accuracy, has found his favorite receivers in Ertz and Goedert, scrambles as well as most, and always wins the \u201cquarterback sneak\u201d battle.<\/p>\n

The running game is excellent. <\/strong>Jordan Howard has been a real find and Miles Sanders is becoming better and better every week.\u00a0 Howard gets the tough yards and Sanders, with his ability to both run and catch the ball, is their most dangerous ball carrier in the open spaces.<\/p>\n

The defensive line and linebackers almost make up for the weak secondary.\u00a0 <\/strong>This group stops the run, pressures the quarterback, and plays extremely aggressively.\u00a0 If they can keep the pressure on the QB, the secondary will be helped immensely.<\/p>\n

The coaching staff is very competent.\u00a0 <\/strong>With the injuries the Eagles have had being 5-4 right now does not seem so bad.\u00a0 The team plays hard with plenty of emotion, takes chances because of the coaches\u2019 confidence, and plays as a unit.\u00a0 Both the defense and offense can only get better the rest of the season if they stay healthy.<\/p>\n

Ergo (I haven\u2019t used that word since college), the Eagles WILL<\/strong> win the NFC East.<\/p>\n

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What are today\u2019s athletes thinking? After a terrible performance by Cleveland Browns<\/a> safety Jermaine Whitehead, a tweet criticized his play (rightfully so).\u00a0 He responded with a tweet filled with profanity and threatening comments.\u00a0 Did he really think there would be no consequences to that Tweet?\u00a0 He was let go by the Browns on Monday morning.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. There are plenty of poor football teams in the NFL and most thought the Dolphins were the worst. And then the Jets<\/a> stumble into the conversation by losing to Miami.\u00a0 \u00a0 The Dolphins methodically reduced the quality of their roster to bolster their draft choices in the next two seasons.\u00a0 Now, it appears the Jets did it without trying!\u00a0 That, also, hurts the Dolphins \u2013 now Cincinnati is in the lead for the #1 draft pick.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Nick Foles (remember him?) should be back for the Jaguars<\/a> next game. Jacksonville has a bye this week and Foles practiced this past week, but did not play.\u00a0 He should be ready for the next game.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Was Lamar Jackson of the Ravens<\/a> the better quarterback of the night when he beat Tom Brady\u2019s Patriots 37-20? Jackson became the youngest QB to defeat a team with an 8-0 or better record.\u00a0 Baltimore matched all of the offensive TDs (4) that the Patriots had given up all year.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. District XI<\/a> playoffs continue this week on RCN-TV. Friday night features a double header with Parkland<\/a> visiting Freedom<\/a> at 7:00pm followed by Easton<\/a> \u2013 Nazareth<\/a> at 9:30pm.\u00a0 On Saturday at 7:00pm it\u2019s a 4A semifinal with Central Catholic<\/a> traveling to Northwestern<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            GARY\u2019S GUESSES (LAST WEEK \u2013 9-5)\u00a0 (YEAR-TO-DATE) \u2013 93-40-1\u00a0 70%)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

            OAKLAND<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

            KANSAS CITY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

            BUFFALO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

            TAMPA BAY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

            GIANTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

            NEW ORLEANS<\/strong><\/p>\n

            BALTIMORE<\/strong><\/p>\n

            GREEN BAY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

            DETROIT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

            INDIANAPOLIS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

            RAMS<\/strong><\/p>\n

            MINNESOTA<\/strong><\/p>\n

            \u00a0SAN FRANCISCO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. That\u2019s right – the Eagles will be the NFC East champs!\u00a0 Alright \u2013 maybe this is just wishful thinking, BUT the Eagles went to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-sportstalk-shop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBirds Win the East - ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Birds Win the East - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 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