This is a guest post by Eric Marmon
Photo by Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Your Eagles are in first place.
Despite an offense that’s been anemic, despite two playmakers at inside linebacker missing most of the season, and despite a high-priced free agent addition in the secondary who, at best, can be described as “not as bad as Bradley Fletcher,” the Eagles exit Week 6 with a tie-breaker lead in the NFC East.
Sure, Sam Bradford is throwing interceptions at a Kirk Cousins-esque rate, Jordan Matthews is dropping balls like he has JPP’s right hand, and DeMarco Murray looks like a running back who’s past his expiration date. Inarguably, the Iggles don’t look like a first place team (sans the defensive front). That doesn’t change the reality that entering the 7th week of the NFL season, the Birds are in first.
Let’s take a look at the three rivals currently chasing your Eagles.
Dallas Cowboys
What happened: The Cowboys had a bye, which was really a best-case-scenario for them. They’ve dropped three-in-a-row since Jordan Hicks introduced Tony Romo to the Lincoln Financial Field turf, and the bye week seemed a decent enough excuse for Head Coach Jerry Jones… er, sorry, Jason Garrett, to make the switch to the recently acquired Matt Cassel. The former Patriot/Chief/Viking/Bill should prove an upgrade over Brandon Weeden, in the same way that “Attack of the Clones” was better than “Phantom Menace.” Weeden is essentially the Jar Jar Binks of NFL quarterbacks, but that doesn’t mean Cassel is anything more than a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In lesser news, “dem boys” are benching a member of Greatest-Offensive-Line-Ever Ron Leary in favor of rookie La’el Collins. Based on the hype from last season, this is the gridiron equivalent of breaking up The Beatles.
What else happened in Dallas? Hmmm…well, Greg Hardy released a rap video. So did DE Jeremy Mincey. Sean Lee hasn’t had one yet, though it would presumably be about Peachy Paterno Ice Cream and getting injured.
Dez Bryant is attempting to come back by Week 7, which seems like a terrible idea. While no one has broken into Dallas General Hospital and stolen Dez’s x-rays (like someone did with JPP), gut instinct says a return next week would be rushed. Kevin Durant, Julio Jones, Joel Embiid, all of them have had similar operations and were out a much longer time (or in Embiid’s case, remain out forever, because Shirley Temples don’t count as PT). Even TO didn’t come back this quick for the Super Bowl. Maybe Dez sets the medical curve here. I wouldn’t bet on it.
Meanwhile, if Dez does come back too early and gets re-injured, the onus should absolutely fall on the entire Jones family for not protecting this young man from himself. And if Dez does come back and returns to dominant form, well then, shoot.
What This Means For The Eagles: Dallas is in panic mode. Maybe Dez comes back, stays healthy, and single-handedly rights the ship that is the sinking Cowboys season. Maybe all the garbage in the city dump will recycle itself. Maybe Mountain Dew is nutritious. Maybe.
More likely, Mountain Dew has the nutritional value of battery acid, the dump remains a battleground for seagulls and rats, and the return of Dez (Week 7 or otherwise) does little to stop this teams glorious implosion. Having a dominant wide receiver is all well and good, but it doesn’t make a team elite (see last season’s New York Giants), and this franchise doesn’t have a shot until Romo comes back.
What’s Next: A visit up to New York against the Giants. Will Dez be in uniform? Will Cassel prove the difference? A road win would go a long way towards keeping a pulse going for the 2015 Cowboys.
Washington R-Word’s
What happened: The Washington Football team lost to the New York Jets 34-20. Dan Snyder’s squad was hanging with Gang Green until some awful interceptions from quarterback Kirk Cousins let the Jets run away with it. As a result, the Washington faithful appear to be accepting the reality that it’s time to move on from Kirk Cousins.
Sure, I’ve been hating on Cousins harder than Gus Frerotte’s head against a cement wall. That doesn’t alter the fact that the back-breaking interceptions are an all too familiar pattern for the Skins fourth-year signal caller. The guy now has 27 career picks, and throws them at a higher rate than John Skelton, Tommy Maddox, or Tim Couch. Essentially, if you picked a random pass play from any of those three terrible quarterbacks, and a play from Cousins’, it’s the Kirksters’s play that most likely went to the opposing team.
That being said, it’s worth acknowledging Cousins was missing his top wide receiver, his most productive running back, and half the offensive line. If Bradford had to suffer through similar circumstances, I’d be lining up the excuses odder than how Chuck Pagano lined ups his punt protection.
None of that really matters though; Cousins is what we think he is, and what we think he is, is lousy. Like rotten milk, this quarterback has gone bad, and waiting around for it to fix itself goes against science. You just need to toss out the carton and pick up a new one. Colt McCoy isn’t anything new, sure, but he’d be an improvement in the cereal.
What This Means For The Eagles: The loss to Washington two weeks ago remains inexcusable. How did the defense that just took years off of Eli Manning’s life not have a single interception against this turnover machine?
On the flip side, the win against the Jets looks just a little bit better. Man, this seasons been weird.
If you were worried about Washington jumping out and stealing this division at 8-8, don’t be. Unlike the Eagles, the Washington defensive isn’t talented enough to overcome sophomoric decision-making from a mediocre quarterback. Mark Sanchez is probably spending his week wishing he’d signed in Washington.
What’s Next: A home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the bye, which may be Cousins last stand. If that’s the case, it’s an equally cruel fate for his successor, who will have to face the Patriots in Foxboro on November 8th.
New York Giants
What happened: Doing a fantastic Aaron Rodgers impression, Eli Manning started off going 10-for-10 and slicing through the Eagles defense with surgical precision. In the first drive (and for most of the second),the Giants offense looked balanced, fluid, and unstoppable (similar to the substances you’d find on the tracks of the NYC subway). Then, like a NYC subway, the Giants offense stopped unexpectedly.
First, there was the DeMeco Ryans interception (which was as much Eli’s fault as it was mine). Then, there was the Nolan Carroll pick-six, which was as much Eli’s fault as, well…. yeah that one was totally Eli’s fault. After that, it all fell apart for the Giants highly-touted offense, as they failed to even threaten to score for the remainder of the game.
Epic credit must be given to the Eagles defense as a whole, as they’ve now held the Giants to seven points in eight quarters at Lincoln Financial Field. However, for New Yorkers looking for their squad to take control of the NFC East, this mistake-filled dumpster-fire of a contest had to feel like a slide into the back of your leg. The Giants had intentional grounding penalties, they roughed the passer, they had too many men on the field, they even ran into the punter, giving the Eagles a free first down that resulted in a touchdown. The Giants looked like a team that hadn't read the instructions on their gameplans; a strategy they seemingly picked up from JPP’s 4th of July party.
If Eli and and goatee-aficionado Ben Mcadoo can get Big Blue playing to the level of that first drive consistently, that offense can be as good as any in the league. However, consistency hasn’t exactly been a theme in Eli’s career, and at 34 years old, it’s fair to assume it never will be.
What It Means For The Eagles: The Eagles got a HUGE win against their most legit threat to claim the NFC East crown. The two teams don’t meet again until Week 17, and ideally by then, the only decisions being made will be which starters Chip Kelly should be resting.
What’s Next: A date at home with Cassel and the Cowboys, then two very winnable games at Tampa Bay and at New Orleans. The Eagles need to keep the pace, as a Giant’s collapse like last year seems a lot less likely.