Philadelphia Eagles: The NFC “Least” still goes through Philly

Can the 1-4-1 Philadelphia Eagles actually win the NFC “Least?”

As improbable as it may seem, that’s the question folks around town keep asking about this team, which may soon start holding open tryouts the way players are falling. And it’s legit, considering the plight of this division, which “boasts” a combined 5-18-1 record.

Sorry as that sounds, remember three of those wins came in head-to-head play, meaning the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, and Redsk…. oops… Washington Football Team are a pathetic 2-15-1 against everyone else. Incredibly, it would be even worse if not for the Cowboys’ improbable Game 2 come-from-way-behind 40-39 win over Atlanta. That one culminated with Dallas managing to recover a last-ditch onside kick while the Falcons stood around and watched, then turn that into the game-winning field goal at the gun.

But since the Rams, who’ve already swept the Division, aren’t eligible, why not the Eagles, who take on the 1-5 Giants at the Linc tonight? There will be some 6,000 fans and a bunch of cutouts watching two bitter rivals go at it.

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That rivalry has taken quite a few twists and turns over the years. Think of Chuck Bednarik leveling Frank Gifford over the middle (undoubtedly a personal foul penalty these days) to the point Giff had to be carted off the field with a concussion so severe it led to his retirement. Or the many Miracles of the Meadowlands featuring Herman Edwards, Brian Westbrook, and DeSean Jackson. Don’t forget Randall Cunningham shrugging off Carl Banks’ tackle to stay on his feet and hit Jimmie Giles for an iconic Monday Night Football touchdown.

The G-Men have had their share of memorable moments, too. Chances are Ron Jaworski still has visions of Lawrence Taylor chasing him down in his sleep.  And Doug Pederson—yes, the same Doug Pederson at the Eagles’ helm— will never forget the 1999 day Michael Strahan returned his blocked pass to the house for the overtime game-winner.   There was also Ron Dixon’s 100-yard kickoff return to key a 2010 playoff win along with numerous big performances from players like Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham, and of course, Eli Manning.

So what to expect in this one, where the Eagles will be without their top running back, Miles Sanders, their top two tight ends, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert,  several receivers, and at least 3/5 of their expected offensive line, and that’s just on offense. Defensively they’ll be missing tackle Malik Jackson, rookie safety K’Von Wallace and one or two linebackers.

Then again, the Giants are down people, too, most notably star back Saquon Barkley, so this figures to be a war of attrition on both sides,

Beyond that, though, can either of these teams mount enough of a charge to punch what would have to be viewed as a dubious post-season ticket?  Or will first place 2-4 Dallas, still reeling from the 38-10 drubbing Kyler Murray and the Cardinals laid on them Monday, which prompted unsolicited locker room complaints about the coaching, manage to overcome all that adversity and make Jerry Jones’ smile again?

After all, it’s hard to expect Andy Dalton, making his first start since Dak Prescott went down for the count, to continue to look as overmatched as he did in that one? The other alternative, first-year coach Ron Rivera’s 1-5 Washingtonians—that lone win coming opening day against the Eagles—seems even more preposterous.

But before Philadelphia can start preparing to host a playoff game, let alone map a socially distanced safe parade route, it might be advisable for Carson Wentz and his cast of castoffs (Travis Fulgham, Greg Ward, Boston Scott, Corey Clement, Jason Croom, etc.) to actually win a division game. Maybe a bunch of them, with the Cowboys next on the docket here a week from Sunday night, followed after the bye week with a Meadowlands’ rematch against the Giants.

Three winnable games the populace figures, as if all these one-winged Birds need to do is just show up. They’re basing that on the strong second halves Wentz & Co. have put on in recent losses to the Steelers and Ravens, forgetting the wretched first halves that put them 17 points down in the first place. But they’re also basing it on the realization the Giants and Cowboys don’t have the same kind of firepower, especially as banged up as they are.

So what’s it all mean? Tonight should give us a clue if the Eagles can follow their recent pattern of overcoming poor starts to the season with strong finishes. But it won’t come close to answering all those nagging questions that have been raised to this point.

However, keep in mind that after this flurry of NFC East games, the schedule gets downright nasty. It begins with a trip to Cleveland that might not be the joyride it used to be. That’s followed by a Monday night here vs. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in a rematch of last season’s playoffs, Lambeau Field and the Packers, home against Drew Brees and the Saints, then at the Cardinals and the elusive Murray.

By the time the Birds get done flying through that gauntlet, all that will remain are the annual ride to Jerry’s World in Dallas, before finishing up the way it all began against Washington.

Could that lead to a happy ending and a fourth straight playoff berth? Who knows? But one thing the Eagles almost certainly won’t have to worry about is tiebreakers. Because of that ugly Bengals’ tie, their NFC East and head-to-head results won’t matter a bit—unless someone else in their Conference should also tie. In that case, all bets are off.

Speaking of wagers, it’s would be downright foolish to advise anyone to put down money on the 2020 Eagles. Wentz would be the first to tell you he’s underperformed and working with a patchwork line to go with musical backs and receivers, his job hasn’t gotten any easier.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t win, not only tonight but enough times to become—believe it or not— the first team to repeat as NFC East champs since Andy Reid’s Super Bound 2004 Birds. With Dallas seemingly crippled on defense and coming to the quick realization Dalton isn’t Dak… with the Giants still adjusting to life without Barkley under the first-year product and suburban Philadelphia native Joe Judge… with Washington desperately searching for someone to play quarterback, the Division is very much up for grabs.

Which brings us back to the 1-4-1 Eagles, a team where the general manager, as well as the coach, are under fire from a frustrated fan base—even if they’re less than three years removed from Super Bowl LII. Despite all the inconsistencies, all the injuries, all the blunders on both sides of the ball as well as special teams, they still appear the ones most likely to win this woeful NFC Least.

After all, somebody has to.