Happy Holidays from everyone at Philly Sports Network. As we prepare to celebrate the festive period, I decided to go over my Christmas list one more time. While I’m manifesting some Titelist Pro V1’s, there are also a few things that all Eagles fans should have on their list ahead of the big day.
Minnesota chokes
There are three teams currently tied for the final wildcard spot. Philadelphia would technically advance ahead of New Orleans under a tiebreaker if they end the season with the same record, leaving only Minnesota to worry about.
The Vikings have to play the Rams, Packers, and Bears to round out the season and will now be without Dalvin Cook for at least the first of those three fixtures.
So long as the Eagles can take care of business against their divisional opponents, they should have a very strong chance of leapfrogging the Vikings, but Minnesota dropping a game or two would make the path to the playoffs a whole lot easier for the Eagles.
Jalen Hurts secures his job
I think the biggest thing the Eagles need to have by the end of the year is a definitive opinion on Jalen Hurts. Is he going to be the starting quarterback in 2022 and beyond, or are there other avenues worth pursuing?
The good news is that Hurts is trending in the right direction. He was recently named a pro bowl alternate and while his passing stats may not blow you away, adding 744 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns add a ton of intrinsic value to any NFL offense.
The Eagles wouldn’t be where they are now without Hurts and if the team are bought into his stunning character traits and impressive leadership qualities, then giving him another year to develop will be the most sensible option.
To really convince Howie and company, a playoff berth would be optimal. If Hurts can lead the Eagles into the postseason and maybe even beyond, then it would be hard to rip the starting role away from him next year, which would in turn mean that those three draft picks are spent on strengthening the team and not the QB spot.
The Dolphins and Colts wobble
That brings me to my next point. At one stage in the NFL season, the Eagles had three top-10 picks. A lot has changed since then. Jonathan Taylor transformed into a human cheat code and Tua decided that losing to the Jets in such excruciating fashion wouldn’t be great for the resume. As things stand, the Eagles own picks 11, 12, and 23.
The Dolphins have to face the Saints, Patriots, and Titans before their season comes to a close, which presents enough of an opportunity for the value of that pick to increase. Even if they only drop one of the three games, it might just be enough to land another top-10 selection.
As for the Colts, they face the Cardinals, Raiders, and Jaguars. They’re still knee-deep in a race with the Titans for AFC South honors and are currently two wins back.
The best thing that Eagles fans can wish for is that both the Colts and the Dolphins wobble before their seasons come to a close. A dropped game here and a dropped game there might just be enough to give the Eagles a trio of mid first-rounders ahead of next years’ draft, which would be fantastic…especially if the Eagles do make the playoffs themselves which could see the value of their own selection decrease.
Miles Sanders catches fire
The Eagles running back has been electric over the past two games, combining for 251 total rushing yards. This breakout comes on the back of what has been a frustrating year for the Penn State product, who barely saw the field during the opening four games before later sustaining an injury against the Raiders.
The Eagles offense was a totally different beast by the time he returned. After a few weeks of re-establishing himself in the pecking order, Sanders took off and never looked back.
We all know the kind of back Sanders can be, but consistency and availability have been two things holding him back from reaching and surpassing the ceiling we saw during his rookie year. If he can continue to stay hot during the cold winter months, then not only will the Eagles have a rushing juggernaut captained by a lethal runner, but it will give Sanders a launchpad going into his final contracted season.
It’s not so long ago that there were plenty of doubts about where Sanders fit in the long-term plans of the Philadelphia Eagles. The landscape has changed drastically since then and he could now be playing his way into a juicy contract extension, which is something every Philadelphia fan wants to see.
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
