NFL's 9 NFL takeaways

The Philadelphia Eagles were out on Sunday since it was their leave. But even if it was a rest day, the team was still affected. The Eagles are behind the 9th week of the NFL.

1 – The Eagles are still alive in the east of the NFC

Despite a disappointing start to the NFL 2018, the reigning Super Bowl champions are still alive and well in NFC East.

The Eagles are no more than a match in the division thanks to the defeat of Washington against the Falcons Sunday.

1) Washington Redskins: 5-3 total (1-0 in division games)
2) Philadelphia Eagles: 4-4 total (1-0 in division games)
3) Dallas Cowboys: 3-4 total (1-1 in division games)
4) New York Giants: 1-7 total (0-3 in division games)

The Eagles still have five division games to play, including two clashes against Washington. Philadelphia can make its way to the playoffs by taking care of business against its rivals.

The week off has the potential to be even better for the Eagles with the Cowboys playing the Titans tonight. Dallas is favored by five points at home and they will probably win since Tennessee is not so impressive (how did the Eagles lose again against them ?!). But if the Cowboys lose, they will fall to 3-5 before going to Philadelphia on Sunday. The Eagles would then essentially be able to finish their season by placing them at 3-6. A good idea to think about, especially with the Raiders having the choice of the first round of the Cowboys 2019. This selection would currently be No. 14 overall in the NFL 2019 project.

No matter what happens in tonight's game, Eagles vs. Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday will be very important. It's time for the Eagles to prove they're ready to play in a second run.

2 – Washington's offensive line is seriously affected

Washington did not lose the game on Sunday. They also lost several offensive linemen.

Trent Williams is expected to be away about a month due to a thumb injury. It looks like Shawn Lauvao, left wing, has torn his ACL. Right-winger Brandon Scherff may have suffered a shoulder injury late in the season. It seems that Morgan Moses may be experiencing a sprained MCL.

This is very bad news for the future of Washington. Their starting offensive line is one of the biggest strengths of the team. It's not as if 33-year-old Adrian Peterson, who has 604 yards on the ground and four touchdowns this season, opened holes. And with Alex Smith inclined to take bags, extra pressure is not really going to help this Washington offense.

The injury situation in Washington adds even more credence to the idea that the division is open.

3 – The crows help the Eagles

The Ravens lost their third consecutive game on Sunday, falling to 4-5 at the same time. The loss to the Steelers is a major blow to Baltimore's playoff hopes, with Pittsburgh consolidating its lead over AFC North.

The Ravens' misfortune is good news for the Eagles, who have the Baltimore second round pick in the NFL draft in 2019. If the season ends today, the Eagles would have three choices in the 49 best: numbers 18, 48 and 49 of Baltimore. Still a lot of time for things to change, of course. In the meantime, keep fighting for the Ravens to lose.

4 – The defeat of the Eagles against panthers to look a little less worse?

Do not get me wrong, the Eagles having a 17-0 lead at home were rather pathetic.

But it's not like they've been beaten by a scrub team. The Panthers are legitimately good. They are 6-2 and tied for the seventh best point differential in the league. As this week's approach, Carolina ranks 4th in the overall standings of the DVOA. It's a shame that the Eagles could not hold this week because it was a quality win.

An optimist can qualify the last three games of the Eagles before the farewell of two wins and one defeat against a very good team. Maybe that bodes well for Philadelphia entering the second half of the season.

5 – The saints are the most dangerous team of the NFC

In case you missed it over the weekend, I set a record forecast for the second half of the Eagles' 2018 calendar. One of the criticisms I've had is that the Eagles lost twice to the Saints: once in the regular season and once in a projected playoff game.

Well, now you may be able to see my skepticism about the Eagles' ability to beat them, especially if the game is Superdome. The Saints have so much firepower in attack and I think it will be difficult for Philadelphia. Even the loaded Rams could not match New Orleans scoring ability on Sunday.

Speaking of LA, they clearly form an elite team in the NFC, but I think they are more beatable than the Saints. And I'm not saying that just because they lost Sunday. My record prediction, which was released on Saturday, saw the Eagles beat the Rams in the 15th week.

6 – The NFL arms race helps explain the Golden Tate Trade

Just look at these points totals from Week 9 …

Saints of New Orleans: 45
Carolina Panthers: 42
Chicago Bears: 41
Atlanta Falcons: 38
Kansas City Chiefs: 37
Los Angeles Rams: 35

Is there any question as to why the Eagles, who are averaging 22 offensive points per game this season (tied for 19th), traded a third-round pick in 2019 for another offensive weapon under the Golden Tate shape? You have to score to stay in today's NFL.

As we approach the subject of Tate, I can not help but notice that the Lions seem to have missed him on Sunday. Matthew Stafford had one of the worst games of his career in Week 9. Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky believes it's not totally foreign to Tate's demise.

When the Eagles acquired Tate, it was pointed out that his presence might help protect Carson Wentz, as it allows the Philadelphia quarterback to quickly pass the ball to a game maker capable of generating yards. after the recovery. Detroit has clearly missed this ability against the Vikings.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are already in contact with their new receiver.

7 – The cardinals are stupid

I officially announce that I will ban the Arizona Cardinals of the Bleeding Green Nation.

If they were going to be so reckless at a quarterback acquisition this off season – and they were – why would not they have been able to do it in a way that was helped the Eagles? You know, maybe Patrick Peterson or a couple of choices for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles?

But no. The Cardinals insisted that Sam Bradford, a man at risk of injury, sign a one – year $ 20 million contract with a $ 15 million guarantee. Everyone with a brain knew that it was a horrible gesture that was not going to succeed. And hey, guess what? It did not work! Bradford was fired after just three starts and has been a free agent since Arizona cut him off.

The hope here is that Bradford finds a way to return to the east of the NFC. Not to the Eagles, of course, but rather to a team that employs a man who has always been around Bradford all through his career: Pat Shurmur. The first word is that the Giants have no interest in adding … but it may change after this season if / when New York leaves Eli Manning and Sammy Sleeves becomes their new quarter quarter ".

We can only hope.

8 – Could urgent help be available?

Bradford was not the only notable player to be eliminated this weekend. The Raiders have released veteran runner Bruce Irvin, who has just turned 31 years old.

Given Derek Barnett's late-season injury, the Eagles need more depth. At the moment, Philadelphia only counts Brandon Graham, Michael Bennett, Chris Long and Josh Sweat, while the defense finishes on their list of 53 players. The lack of Sweat play time in Week 8 suggests that coaching staff do not really trust him. It would therefore make sense to hire a veteran player like Irvin.

The problem is that Irvin must always go through waivers. I imagine that the teams are not rushing to claim his contract, which carries a number capped at $ 9.25 million in 2019. But even if it goes unnoticed, it may be that Irvin prefers to sign with an obvious competitor, like the Patriots or a team where he has knowledge like the Seahawks (former team) or the Falcons (former Seahawks assistant, Dan Quinn).

Assuming that Irvin has no interest in joining the Eagles, maybe people should ask him to finish in Atlanta. In this way, the Falcons could cut off Steven Means, who should be welcomed in Philadelphia with open arms.

9 – The Giants compete for the first choice

If the season ends today, the Giants would choose the No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL. They would have the choice of a quarter to replace Eli Manning.

It's not ideal. The Eagles really need the Giants here to win insignificant victories to ruin their position.

The good news is that the Giants will compete for the first choice. The Oakland Raiders (1-7) and Buffalo Bills (2-7) look so terrible right now. Both teams could eventually lose.

The Giants, meanwhile, are also pretty terrible. But I think maybe they could win one or two more victories in this last stage: 49ers against Buccaneers, at Eagles, against Bears, in Washington, against Titans, at Colts, against Cowboys.

Hopefully this will be enough to prevent them from getting first place in the overall standings.