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Sympathy for the Eagles

Sympathy for the Eagles

By Dan Ralph

One has to feel sorry for the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles have won their last two games, including a lacklustre 17-7 decision over the winless Miami Dolphins on Sunday, to reach the .500 level for the first time this season. But Philadelphia not only has the unenviable task now of taking on the undefeated New England Patriots this weekend, but the club isn’t sure whether starter Donovan McNabb will be able to play.

McNabb suffered a sprained right ankle and injured the thumb on his throwing hand in the win over Miami. He’s listed as day to day, but chances are Philadelphia won’t know until game time whether McNabb or backup A.J. Freeley will get the start against the hard-charging Patriots.

McNabb’s ankle injury came nearly a year after he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Whoever gets the start will have the dubious task of trying to derail the NFL’s top team.

New England is coming off a lopsided 56-10 decision over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Patriots not only halted Buffalo’s four-game win streak but improved to 10-0, leaving them as the NFL’s only unbeaten team and threatening to become the first franchise since the ‘72 Dolphins to go undefeated during the regular season.

The Patriots scored touchdowns on seven of their eight possessions, with the other TD coming on an interception return by cornerback Ellis Hobbs. The 56-point outburst was a club record for New England, eclipsing the 52 points they scored against Washington earlier this season.

New England has steamrolled past nearly every team it’s faced this season. The Patriots are the ninth team since the ‘72 Dolphins to start a season 10-0 and are averaging a whopping 41.1 points per game. Their only close game thus far was a come-from-behind 24-20 win in Indianapolis.

Quarterback Tom Brady was once again the Patriots’ offensive catalyst, completing 31-of-39 passes for 373 yards and five touchdown passes. Brady is second in the NFL in passing behind Green Bay’s Brett Favre with 2,686 yards _ Favre has 2,757 _ but is the league’s runaway leader in touchdown passes with 33. Brady is threatening to annihilate the league record of 49 TD passes set just three years ago by Indianapolis’s Peyton Manning.

Another Patriot having a stellar season is receiver Randy Moss. Moss, acquired in a draft-day trade with the Oakland Raiders, had 10 catches for 128 yards and four touchdowns against Buffalo. In fact, Moss had four all of his TD grabs in the first half, becoming the first receiver in 24 years to accomplish that feat.

So far this season, Moss has registered 66 receptions for 1,052 yards with 16 touchdowns, a pretty nice return for an ‘07 fourth-round draft pick.

And that’s additional bad news for the Eagles, whose secondary is banged up. Free safety Brian Dawkins and cornerback Lito Sheppard have missed a combined nine games due to injury.

The Eagles’ defence is also without its best pass rusher in defensive end Jevon Kearse, who was inactive for the win over Miami. Once one of the NFL’s most fearer pass rushers, Kearse, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has battled an assortment of injuries the last few years and been replaced by Juqua Thomas in the Eagles’ starting lineup.

And now, the Eagles face the prospect of trying to tackle the juggernaut that is the New England Patriots.

That's simply not fair.