who WILL defeat Eagles in NFC Champ?

[hastur]

The Eagles are 21st in the league against the rush, allowing 120.7 per game.

My pick is Atlanta. Vick will rush for over 150 yards against them.

[BrutallyHuge]

Didn't the Eagles murder the Falcons in the playoffs a few years back? Dawkins put a helmet in Vick's chest when he tried to run.

The NFC is weak and the NFC South is a joke nowadays.

[hastur]

My overly sarcastic point was that SOMEHOW every year, despite the opponant, the Eagles choke worse than a pit bull on a squirrel. Rams, Tampa, Panthers. Come from 'out of nowhere' teams, hence my prediction of Atlanta.

Take this with a grain of salt, huge. I am, after all, a cowboy fan

[Atog]

i see the Rams and GB beating both beating them-some weeks the eagles give up lots of rushing (against the Steelers and Giants recently) and some games they have problems defending against the pass. With GB and the Rams both having a strong RB and a strong QB, i think they could pull it off.

[Bennett4prez]

To defeat the Eagles, you need to be able to perform a run-first offense. All teams in playoff contention average over 100 ypg, so it shouldn't be too difficult to rely on the run. Then, you have to have a strong #1 corner to match up with T.O. and quick line backers to catch McNabb if he tries to run.

I may be biased here, but I think Minnesota matches up well against the Eagles. I know the Eagles beat the Vikings earlier this season, but if the Vikings rely more on the running game, I think they have a good chance at beating the Eagles. They have Winfield understanding the system (when he can play off a little because he has safety help, etc.).

I'm not saying the Vikings would take the cake, but I think it would be a VERY close game and with both teams Super Bowl jinxes (remember the 15-1 Vikings? Or Super Bowl IV when the Chiefs experimented with a new drink called "Gatorade"?). Of course we all know about the last 3 years and the Eagles. I got the Vikings taking the Eagles in a rematch 35-34.

[BrutallyHuge]

i see the Rams and GB beating both beating them-some weeks the eagles give up lots of rushing (against the Steelers and Giants recently) and some games they have problems defending against the pass. With GB and the Rams both having a strong RB and a strong QB, i think they could pull it off.

You have to be joking about the Rams.

Did you see them play Buffalo last week? That team is garbage. I dunno how a sane person can think the Rams will beat the Eagles.

[maddog60]

My overly sarcastic point was that SOMEHOW every year, despite the opponant, the Eagles choke worse than a pit bull on a squirrel. Rams, Tampa, Panthers. Come from 'out of nowhere' teams, hence my prediction of Atlanta.

Take this with a grain of salt, huge. I am, after all, a cowboy fan

The Rams and Tampa were hardly 'out of nowhere' teams. The Rams were heavily favored and still considered the greatest show on turf going into the NFC Championship vs. the Eagles. They were the better team. Can't call it choking much when the underdog loses.

Against Tampa the Eagles were not really underdogs, but Tampa wasn't really either with the most dominant defense in the league by far.

Now Carolina did come out of nowhere, but in all honesty, the Eagles last year had no right even getting to the NFL championship. Going into the playoffs without they're sole offensive weapon, they're top defensive player, still 4 DLs on IR they were decimated. I know the Pats had lots of injuries too, but most of their guys (like Law) came back by playoff time, the Eagles lost Westbrook and Emmons in the weeks 16 and 17. So, yes they choked, but they shouldn't have gotten past Green Bay. It was only due to the willpower of McNabb to carry the entire team on his legs, and a bad 4th and goal call by the Packers that they didn't go on to claim title as the best NFC team (which they were at that point in the season).

That being said, yeah, the Eagles did choke last year. The previous years debateable, but this is sort of like picking any old team to win vs. the Colts come playoffs. If the Eagles stay healthy, the Vikings are the only ones that could even keep pace. Lets review the probable teams:

GB: Not as good as last year, despite recent success. Favre to Walker won't match McNabb to TO, and Lito Sheppard is better than the entire GB secondary to swing the balance further.

Seattle: Only getting into the playoffs due to an incredibly weak division and conference, they've just fallen apart. Hasselback can't throw, and Holmgren will abandon Alexander and the run game when the Eagles go up on them.

St. Louis: No defense, erratic offense, and too many sacks allowed by that line, and Bulger still needs to keep the ball away from the defense.

Atlanta: 120 yards of passing and 80 yards rushing by Vick won't cut it. His defense won't be able to save him, because this offense is not as weak as Carolina or Tampa, or Arizona.

So really, the Vikings are the best threat, what with Randy Moss, a strong deep backfield and a Pro Bowl quality QB. They have the capability to score first and quickly, then sit on the early lead with their running game.

[hastur]

by 'out of nowhere', I meant that at the beginning of the season, they weren't favored to get that far.

[Vlad the Impaler_ffc]

I think the Packers are the only team that could realistically go into Philly in January and come out with a win.

[joshyboy72]

yeah it's definitely Green Bay, and maybe Minnesota if they can make it that far.