Eagles Face Tough Task Holding on to Number One Seed
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the driving seat right now, they hold the number one seed overall in the NFL, although face a tough task to keep it over the next two weeks. However, out of the four clubs fighting it out, they have the toughest schedule and they have lost their quarterback Carson Wentz. The Oakland Raiders are in town this weekend, for what should be a very competitive game.
Playing without Wentz is going to make things tougher for them, but they are on a role and with new starter Nick Foles in the line-up, who knows what will happen to the team over the next few weeks. While the schedule has not been friendly to the Eagles, perhaps, in the long run, this is the best thing that could have happened to them. Instead of playing in a dead rubber, easy games Foles will be taking part in big games against good opponents, and that should help him prepare for the playoffs.
Away from Foles, due to the absence of Wentz, the Eagles running game is going to need more injection from their mid-season acquisition Jay Ajayi. With Wentz in the team, Ajayi was not needed too much but now his quick running game will come in very useful for the team. He should provide a great variation to LeGarrette Blount, who has been very impressive this season, giving the Eagles a solid one-two punch to go to war with.
Mathematically the Oakland Raiders are not out of the playoff picture just yet, but they require a minor miracle to leapfrog many teams and get in. The loss of Derek Carr earlier this season hurt them and prevented any progress from being made. After two losses, the Raiders are pretty much out of the picture, a loss in this one and that is certainly the case.
Expect to see a tight game here, the Raiders will be playing for their lives, and the Eagles will still be adjusting to their new quarterback. Both will want to win, both need to win, but only one can and because of their recent run I have to side with the Philadelphia Eagles. A win here would keep the momentum going, and give them a shot at keeping hold of the number one overall seed, giving them vital home advantage throughout the playoffs.
