This game will decide whether the start of their season has been a success or a failure. If they lose they’re going to be forced to endure two weeks of hearing how disappointing they’ve been and how Andy Reid and Michael Vick need to be replaced.
They’re sitting at 3-2 and a win on Sunday would make them 4-2 and guarantee a share of the NFC East division lead after six games. The Giants have a tough game against the San Francisco 49ers, so there’s a good chance they could be sitting in first place all alone with a win.
It would allow them to feel very good about the start of their season. I couldn’t emphasize enough about how big of a difference, 4-2 is from 3-3.
Remember 3-3 is .500 and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie made it very clear that last year’s 8-8 record wasn’t good enough. I know Andy Reid wouldn’t feel comfortable if the Birds finish the season 8-8 and out of the playoffs again. A 4-2 record would have them pointed toward the playoffs and the team knows they haven’t played any where near their best football.
The Birds want this game in the worse way, but the same is true of the Detroit Lions. They made the playoffs a year ago and came into the season as a favorite to make the playoffs again, in fact many had predicted they were going to be a better team this year. They’re currently 1-3 and in jeopardy of falling out of the race for the NFC North title very early.
They’ll be fighting for the game like their season depended on it, because it does.
The Eagles defensive line, which is hungry for a big sack game, is probably going to get the chance to rush the passer because Detroit doesn’t have much of a running game. They live or die with the arm of quarterback Matt Stafford. If that Birds defensive line can get to him and pound him, it could make things a lot of easier for the secondary, which has the task of handling All-Pro wide receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson.
Stafford and Megatron have been experiencing some of the same problems as Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. They haven’t be connecting for big plays.
“We need explosive plays, whether it be through the run or the pass,” Stafford told a Detroit paper. “We don’t really care what it is, we just want plays of 20 yards or more and those equal points in this league. And the more and more you can do of those, the more and more points you’re going to score and that gives you a better chance to win.”
The Eagles will be utilizing their version of the “no huddle” offense to give Vick a chance to get a good pre-snap read at the line of scrimmage. This has been a good move because it’s cut down on the mistakes with blitz reads for Vick. The Lions will be trying to put serious pressure on Vick, which should set up some big plays for the Eagles in the running game and on screens and draws.
LeSean McCoy should have a big day and that should set up some big plays downfield to Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.
