In our Eagles chat on Thursday, there were a lot of questions that we could not get to in time or other questions we did answer but could use more color. And so, let's do a mailbag post to answer some of the overflow, as well as some commonly asked questions on Twitter and via email. This is Part II of a two-part mailbag (Part I here).
Question from Brian: Hey Jimmy, You had previously said that the Eagles' toughest remaining game (Cowboys aside) might be the Giants this week. What do you think is Dallas' toughest game, other than the Eagles, and what do you think the chances are Dallas runs the table the rest of the season? Thanks!
The Cowboys game aside, the Eagles are going to be heavy favorites in all of their games from here on out. They are seven-point road favorites today, a line that should arguably be higher against a Giants team missing their four best receivers (Sterling Shepard, Wan'Dale Robsinson, Collin Johnson, and Kadarius Toney), their two best corners (Adoree Jackson and Aaron Robinson), a Pro Bowl defensive lineman (Leonard Williams), and a handful of reserve linemen on both sides of the ball. Oh, and their best offensive weapon, Saquon Barkley, may or may not play.
As long as the Eagles stay reasonably healthy the rest of the season, this 7-point line today against the Giants will be the lowest non-Cowboys line the rest of the season. I'll venture a guess at the non-Cowboys lines the rest of the season:
- Week 14: At Giants: -7
- Week 15: At Bears: -9.5
- Week 17: Saints: -10.5
- Week 18: Giants: -10 (if this game matters to the Eagles)
- MORE ON THE EAGLES
- Eagles-Giants Week 14 injury report, with analysis
- Eagles activate CB Avonte Maddox from injured reserve
- Week 14 non-Eagles rooting guide
Does that look about right? I would rank their remaining games in order from easiest to most difficult:
- Saints, Week 17
- At Bears, Week 15
- Giants, Week 18
- At Giants, Week 14
- At Cowboys, Week 16
Anyway, the Eagles have to lose at least two games the rest of this season to be overtaken either in the NFC East or for the 1 seed. They are in an absolutely fantastic position to earn a first round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, and it would take a major upset to derail that.
The rest of the Cowboys' games look like this:
- Week 14: Texans
- Week 15: At Jaguars
- Week 17: At Titans
- Week 18: At Commanders
They are 17-point favorites today against the Texans, and they'll be heavy favorites next weekend in Jacksonville. They will also be favored in Tennessee and in Washington, but those two games are harder than anything else the Eagles have left on their schedule.
Can the Cowboys run the table? Sure, but they'd have to win those four games, plus a game over a team that is better than them in the Eagles. And even if they do all of that, they still might only be the 5 seed.
Question from That Guy: Should there be an argument that the Eagles 2018 draft is what enabled them to get to this point (Hurts draft aside)? They hit on like every pick, especially after the disaster that was the 2017 draft.
The absolutely crushed the 2018 draft, even though they only had five picks:
- Round 2: Dallas Goedert
- Round 4: Avonte Maddox
- Round 4: Josh Sweat
- Round 6: Matt Pryor
- Round 7: Jordan Mailata
Starting TE, starting slot CB, starting DE, and starting LT. That draft has certainly helped the success of the team this season, but there are a lot of things that make up a championship caliber team. In the Eagles' case:
- Jalen Hurts had a meteoric rise.
- The old guys on this team — Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox — are still playing at a high level.
- They were able to capitalize on other teams' stupidity by collecting impact players like A.J. Brown, James Bradberry, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
- They have found other quality starters in the draft, like DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, and Jordan Davis.
- They hit on some free agent acquisitions, like Javon Hargrave and Haason Reddick, and were able to trade for Darius Slay.
- They have found some no-cost players who have become quality starters, like T.J. Edwards and Marcus Epps.
- Nick Sirianni has proven to be a good coach, and he has a good, young staff around him.
- Their team chemistry is excellent, and a little reminiscent of 2017.
I could go on. Basically, it takes a series of smart moves over the course of years that pan out to build a Super Bowl-caliber team that the Eagles now have. I think that guys like Kelce, Johnson, Graham and Cox were the foundation. Perhaps the 2018 draft was sort of the framing? Like, the floors, walls, and roof?
Question from Alcoholics Alshonymous: How do you think the Birds match up against the best teams in the AFC?
We're still a ways away from this discussion, I think, but I will say this — the Eagles are better in the trenches than every single one of those teams (Bills, Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins, etc.).
Question from Lord Jimmy Has Nice Shoes: Lord Jimmy, what would the Eagles record be if Hurts had gone down Week ! and Minshew started all season?
First of all, thank you for acknowledging my incredible shoe game. If I'm being honest, that's the primary reason I'm answering this question.
I don't know what their record would be. Would they put up 38 vs. the Lions? 40 vs. the Packers? Would they have gotten out to big early leads in some other games and cruised to easy wins in the second half? It's really hard to say.
I think they'd still have a good record, but (a) they would not be in the position of dominance they are currently in, and (b) we would not be talking about them as favorites to go to the Super Bowl.
Question from JY: Does Andre Chachere get a fresh batch of practice squad elevations since he passed through waivers, or do the ones from the beginning of the season still count?
So for those of you who do not know what this question means, Andre Chachere was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster three times, which is the limit. The Eagles had to choose to either activate him to the active 53, or waive him. They initially activated him, but later waived him. He then cleared waivers and landed back on the Eagles' practice squad. What JY is asking here is if the Eagles can now elevate three more times without having to activate or waive him. I confirmed with the team on Friday that they do not get a fresh new set of three elevations.
Question from Justin: Hi Jimmy, when a player gets Player of the Week/Month do they actually win anything (trophy, plaque, money, etc.) or is it just name recognition?
Ha, I actually asked Zech McPhearson (Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 1) this question earlier this season, and he said he was getting a plaque. He had not yet gotten it when I asked him. Maybe I'll follow up and take a pic if he (or one of the other players of the week) have it in their locker.
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