Big things were expected of the Philadelphia Eagles this season, but their season has had an unbeatable start. The Eagles are now 7-0 and looking ahead to some extremely winnable games against the Texans, Commanders, and Colts.
From the start, the betting markets have been adjusting to the Eagles’ strong performances. NFL bettors looking for game-day betting tips, about which you can find out more at thegameday.com, have been increasingly relying on the Eagles to deliver the wins, and so far, they have not been disappointed. They are now strong favorites to win the NFC and second only to the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl betting
Solid on defense, deadly on offense
The Eagles have looked good in all departments of the game. Defensively, they are in the top five or six across all the key statistics. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay have three interceptions each and James Bradberry has another two. Haason Reddick has forced three fumbles and he and Javon Hargrave have both recovered two.
However, they have been even more deadly with the ball. A.J. Brown has given Jalen Hurts more options and the Eagles’ offense is full of players who can make passing plays, including DaVonta Smith and Quez Watkins along with tight end Dallas Goedert, who is one of the best in the NFL. Then there’s Miles Sanders, who is fourth on the list of rushing yards gained so far this season.
Above all, it is Hurts who has galvanized this offense. He may not have the flashy stats and attributes of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL (at least, not yet) but he is everything that fans and players love in a quarterback. He is a clear leader, and it is also clear that his team is prepared to fight for him to a degree that makes them dangerous against all opponents in all circumstances.
A clear example came in the game against Jacksonville. The Eagles were down 14-0, but Hurts led a comeback that proved irresistible and set up a 29-21 win.
Evaluating the competition
The Eagles are setting a strong pace in the NFC and are already a game up on the Vikings and Giants, their nearest challengers, two games ahead of the Cowboys and three wins in front of the Packers, Bucs, Rams, and 49ers. They are showing no signs of slowing their pace while their main rivals are finding ways to lose in unlikely circumstances. In fact, only three other teams in the NFC have winning records.
The Packers have hit a roadblock, losing to the Giants and the Jets, the Falcons recently thrashed the 49ers, and both the Bucs and Rams have been inconsistent. Assuming that the Giants won’t be able to keep up their current remarkable form, the Vikings and the Cowboys present as the most immediate threats, but Philadelphia has already beaten Dallas once.
Being a direct divisional rival, the Cowboys are the bigger threat, which is why the Week 6 clash was so significant. Dallas has arguably the strongest defense in the NFL and presents a serious test for any opponent, and they proved to be resilient. The Eagles established a 20-0 lead, but the Cowboys came back strong, scoring 17 without reply to make it 20-17.
As with the Jacksonville game, Philadelphia fought back. They came up with a long touchdown drive and a crucial late interception and won 26-17. That win felt huge, and not just because it came against a divisional rival. The Cowboys, without Dak Prescott, had been shaping up as a real threat in the NFC East and talked about as playoff certainties. Beating them in that fashion will have given the Eagles’ players even more confidence as well as open up a handy two-game gap.
Conclusion
With four winnable games coming up, there is every chance that the Eagles will be 10-0 going into their game against Green Bay on Nov. 27. After that, there is a huge return game against the Cowboys and two against the Giants, but little else to fear.
Of course, the NFL season rarely develops in the way that we expect and there are likely to be surprises along the way. At some point, the Eagles are likely to put in a poor performance or be on the receiving end of a bad piece of luck. But right now, they are dominant, and it is difficult to see anyone in the NFC stopping them.
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