We’re less than 24 hours away from a matchup that fans have been longing for. Carson Wentz vs Andrew Luck. Doug Pederson vs Frank Reich. It’s truly a clash of quarterbacking and coaching titans and there is plenty of noise around this matchup, just for good measure. With that said, our bold predictions series (now a shocking 1-10) has some ground to make up. Could this be the week that like the Eagles are looking to do, we finally heat up? Here’s this week’s flaming five!
Wentz is still a wizard:
Nobody is expecting Carson Wentz to run out onto Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday and play like Superman. Not his Coach, not Zach Ertz and not the fans. But we all know what Wentz is capable of and considering just how much of a spark this offense needs, is it really that hard to imagine that a quarterback running off of the adrenaline of playing his first Football game since week 14 of last year isn’t going to give us a ‘wow’ moment or two? Houdini tendencies aside, a competent showing from Wentz in his first sense of mildly competitive action since his heartbreaking injury would be an achievement, but we all know the ceiling is much higher than that.
My first bold prediction is for Carson Wentz to complete 60% of his passes, avoid throwing an interception and score two touchdowns.
Jumpman Jmatt:
One of the big storylines this week was the return of Jordan Matthews to the Eagles offense. Deemed healthy after an injury led to his release in New England, Matthews returns home to help facilitate the return of one of his closest friends during a time of immense need for the Eagles. The re-signing seems to have sparked quite the debate among fans, but what’s important is that the Eagles have optionality. Agholor can move outside with Gibson supporting as a WR2, while JMatt can use his 6’3”, 212 lbs frame in some much needed run-support and build on his successful stat-line acquired during his time with the Eagles, that if you take his average of receptions, yards and TD’s during his 3-year stint and rank them against the Super Bowl winning team, he’d have finished 1st, 1st and 4th on the team.
My second bold prediction is for Matthews to silence his doubters by receiving for his first touchdown in an Eagles uniform since 2016 and put up at least 60 receiving yards.
The redemption of Jalen Mills:
One man who has received plenty of criticism lately is Jalen Mills. The Eagles corner hasn’t exactly enjoyed a strong start to the season, but in all fairness, he has been lined up against extremely intimidating competition. That will drop down a peg against the Colts this week and could spark a much needed spring in his step. If it does, we can expect finger-wags and sassy tweets galore.
Thirdly, I’m predicting Jalen Mills to pick off a pass, amass five tackles and rekindle the swagger that earned him the ‘Green Goblin’ reputation.
Defensive MVP:
Fletcher Cox has been adamant that he wants to be in the running for defensive MVP this season and it’s hard to disagree with his efforts so far. Through two games, Cox has 2.5 sacks and 8 tackles, having literally bullied everyone in his path. The Colts have a couple of key offensive line injuries this week that will leave the monster licking his lips and it’s going to be difficult to imagine Andrew Luck being mobile enough to escape the clutches of the Kraken.
Penultimately, I’m predicting Cox to bring down Andrew Luck twice and pick up 4 tackles in the process.
A moment in the Sun:
The Eagles backfield scenario looks bleaker than it ever has, but it does lean an opportunity to Josh Adams. The undrafted free agent forced his way onto the practice squad, despite missing out on key offseason time due to injuries. In the preseason action he did partake in, Adams amassed 90 rushing yards, proving his worth as a future battering ram. He’ll get a chance to prove himself on Sunday alongside the man he was once dueling for the RB4 job, Wendell Smallwood and this time he may finally get to deliver the knockout blow.
My final bold prediction is for Adams to lead the team in rushing yards in Sunday’s game against the Colts, scoring his first ever NFL touchdown in the process.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
