Happy gameday, Eagles fan. We may be a couple of hours away from a kickoff that will send the Linc into a roaring frenzy, so here are five bold predictions to tide you over.
After two weeks, here are how our predictions stack up as we shoot for a 50% record:
Liam: 3-10
Thomas: 2-10
The return of the Mack
Mack Hollins made a statement last week. It may have been Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz carrying the weight of the offense, but Hollins flashed his receiving ability again, something that may be called on due to a cluster of injuries.
After averaging ten yards per reception on five catches against Atlanta, Hollins has now had a full week of practice with Carson Wentz which is vital in terms of building a rapport. As a result, I predict that Hollins will bring the ‘Chris Hogan’ effect to the table, catching his first touchdown since his rookie season and recording another 50 yards.
Sidney Jones SZN
Sidney Jones picked off a stray pass last week but more importantly, looked excellent in coverage and just dominant when playing downhill. He’ll now face an underrated Detroit receiving corps and a quarterback who just loves to sling it deep.
Whether it’s lining up on Golladay or Marvin Jones Jr, I think Jones is going to be an impact player once more; picking off another pass and adding 5 more tackles to his name. Yes, this is doubling down on last week’s pick…but if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Breakin’ a Sweat
Sweat has played in 21% of snaps and 27% of snaps across the opening two games of the season and has interestingly flashed that raw explosiveness he’s become known for on both occasions. unfortunately, he’s not been able to put the icing on the cake…until now.
If he lines up across Taylor Decker, this could be one of the key mismatches as the game progresses. He ranks 4th in penalties and 2nd in most sacks allowed already and this may just give Sweat the advantage he needs.
I predict he’ll record his first-ever NFL sack and one TFL.
Sproles will do the thing
If you think about this Eagles backfield, it’s scarily similar to how it looked in 2016. It’s unpredictable and has no real identity. Darren Sproles led the team in carries in week one and disappeared in week 2. Now, you’d like to assume this is the week that Jordan Howard gets going…but this is the Eagles backfield and it will take a few more weeks for the penny to drop.
With that in mind, I think we’ll see even more of Sproles in week 3, who will run for 65 yards and receive for 35 yards, tallying 100 in total.
King Carson returns
Wentz started off poorly against Atlanta before soaring into life and driving a wounded Eagles offense back from the brink all by himself. Wentz spiked the ball down in the end zone after a score, with months of frustration bellowing out. Wentz is back to his best and that’s bad news for Detroit…even if the Birds are shorthanded.
Finally, I predict Wentz will throw for 300+ yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s.
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
