Jets vs. Eagles: Why Philadelphia Will Lose

No, I'm not guaranteeing victory like the headline says. Brandon from Bleeding Green Nation and I exchanged the reasons why our teams might lose. My thoughts on why the Jets might lose are posted here on Bleeding Green Nation. Brandon's on the Eagles are posted below.

Offense

The Eagles’ offense has looked terrible more often than it has not through two games so far this season. The issues are widespread and interconnected. The entire offensive line isn’t blocking well, thus the run game doesn’t exist. The lack of a rushing attack forcing Sam Bradford to throw the ball more than the team would ideally want him to. Bradford’s not throwing with accuracy and even when he does, his wide receivers are dropping his passes. To top it all off, the Eagles are too predictable and opposing defenses seem to know what’s coming. Chip Kelly is simply getting out-coached.

Maybe the Eagles can eventually work out some of these issues, but it’s going to be hard for them to do just that against a strong New York Jets defense. The Jets have forced 10 turnovers through two games and only allowed 17 points. This doesn’t seem like the week where the Eagles’ offense will get back on track. New York’s front seven could cause problems for Philadelphia’s struggling offensive line.

Defense

New York’s offense isn’t nearly as scary as their defense. The Eagles’ defense looked solid in Week 2, so there’s less of a concern with that unit right now, but the Birds are dealing with a number of injuries. Starting defensive end Cedric Thornton and primary backup defensive Taylor Hart could both be out. When it comes to inside linebackers, Kiko Alonso has been ruled out and Mychal Kendricks only has an outside chance to play. Byron Maxwell is healthy but he's been struggling in coverage so he won’t get the benefit of the doubt until he steps up.

Another concern with the Eagles’ defense ties back in with the offense. If Philadelphia can’t stay on the field and sustain drives, it puts the defense in a spot where they have to play way too many snaps. We saw this happen in Week 2.

X-Factor

The Eagles are coming off a demoralizing Week 2 loss. That kind of defeat might motivate a team to get their (stuff) together and fix it, but it could also rob them of their confidence. I wonder how much this Eagles team really believes in themselves right now. Personally, I can’t pick them to win until they prove they’re capable of doing it.