"After losing CenturyLink and Air Academy Credit Union as paid endorsements, entertainment mogul Russell Simmons has reached out to Marshall to get him to endorse “RushCard,” which is a prepaid Visa card." --Curtis Crabtree
"Yes, they offer some convenience for the 25% of Americans who are unbanked or underbanked. But in exchange, prepaid cards charge exorbitant fees. Why not just educate people on how to bank smart and avoid fees through the use of fee-free FDIC-insured banks and credit unions? They do exist." --CBS News 2011
A win tonight over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins will clinch the NFC East division. Doing so and then beating the Dallas Cowboys next week would have the Skins finish the season 9-7, winners of four straight and provider of respectability for one of this season's much maligned conferences.
A loss in tonight's matchup - Washington At Philadelphia (-3; 49) - will have the NFC East division winner finish at 8-8 or 7-9, but let's hold off on that.
The Skins have been inconsistent all year and have only won two games in a row once, during this current stretch. If they make the playoffs, they would have done so while not beating a team that qualified for this year's playoffs.
The Skins defeated the Eagles earlier this season in a game of two disparate halves, which saw Redskins Quarterback Kirk Cousins make the early case that he's the better of the two quarterbacks.
Cousins bests Eagles Quarterback Sam Bradford in most top statistical categories, including TD/INT ratio, which might prove to be the difference in tonight's game.
At the same time, Bradford has shown the ability to power the Eagles offense, while the Eagles defense continues to struggle against teams with potent passing games.
The Eagles are 6-1 when they score 23+ points and 0-7 when they score less than 23 points.
The Redskins are 6-0 when they score 23+ points and 1-7 when they score less than 23 points.
Tonight's question is simple: Can Kirk Cousins and the Skins offense maintain the consistency of these past two weeks and score 24+ points?
Both teams' defenses give up over 23 points a game, with the Skins having the statistical advantage by 2.2 points.
The numbers are unanimous for the Skins, especially with the 3 points being given. Still, I do think the Eagles can pull off a win while not covering the spread.
So, I take Skins (OVER) because I think both teams will take more offensive risks. Pick wisely, come back for Sunday's picks and until then let's see if Skins clinch.
On the surface, this game looks like it's for the birds. No, not the Eagles, but not worth a serious discussion. With so many teams vying for top spots in their conference or holding on to their Wild Card slots, how does Buffalo At Philadelphia (PK; 47) rise to the top?
In a nutshell, it is the mystery of not knowing which team will show up. Each team has one shot to make it into the playoffs. Though losing this game does not mathematically eliminate them, it pretty much shuts the door on the Buffalo Bills. For the Eagles, a loss has the most impact only if the New York Giants and Washington Redskins win this NFL Week 14.
At 5-7, the Philadelphia Eagles are tied with those two teams for the lead in the NFC East. In a season where no team from the division is playing like they want to win it, the Eagles' season took a sharp turn when they lost to three non-playoff bound teams from NFL Weeks 9 to 11.
If not for an injury to Eagles starting Quarterback Sam Bradford, we're probably not having this conversation. Bradford got injured in the third quarter, with the Eagles leading the Miami Dolphins. Mark Sanchez came in to replace him and the Eagles went on to lose. In the next two losses, the Eagles defense gave up 45 points each game, while the offense struggled.
Last week, upon Bradford's return, the Eagles pulled off an improbable win, on the road, against the New England Patriots. Still, let's not act like the Eagles were bona fide contenders before the Bradford injury.
After 8 games, they were a 4-4 team, just like today's opponent. The Buffalo Bills also went through losses with their backup quarterback manning the help. For them it was a two-game skid, with one loss a game they likely would have lost with their starter.
During those two games, the Bills defense gave up 34 points each game. The Bills are 6-1 when the opponent scores 21 points or less- the lone loss came at the hands of the New England Patriots, who also scored the most - 40 points - against them this season.
The Bills are 0-5 when the opponents scores 24 or more points. In the 9 games, that Bradford has started and completed, the Eagles have scored 24+ points 6 times. They won 5 of those games.
This match-up is listed as a "pick-em", as in go with mainly what you believe. The numbers are overwhelming that the Bills (.895) will win. The lack of faith is on an Eagles defense that has given up 27+ points in 5 out of their last 6 games.
So, I take the Bills (UNDER) with the outlook that Bills and LeSean McCoy will dictate style of play. Pick wisely, come back for Monday's pick and until then watch which team's season is one for the birds.
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants will go a long way in determining how strong the NFC East will be this season, and whether all four teams can battle for a playoff spot up until December. This game means much more to the Giants than it does the Eagles because the Eagles are viewed as a lock to win the division unless QuarterBack Michael Vick gets injured.
Vick did get injured, this past week, and is the key reason why the Eagles are not 2-0. Though Vick fumbled twice and threw an interception, he had the Eagles heading to a 1o-point lead against the Falcons, before he suffered a concussion and left the game.
Up until then, he powered a balanced Eagles’ offense, in which he had thrown his 4th TouchDown of the season.
The Eagles are 19th in total Passing (250.5), 2nd in total Rushing (184.5 yards), and 6th in overall Offense.
They bring this against a Giants team that is ranked 19th in overall defense, but 3rd against the Rush, limiting opponents to 66.5 yards per game. Where the Giants defense falters is in their inability to get off the field – 15 Passing First Downs per opponent.
To beat the Eagles, the New York Giants need a big game from Eli Manning. On the surface since the Eagles ranked 30th in Rush Defense, it seems to be the logical point of attack. Rushing leads their opponents to eating the clock while not producing much in terms of scoring. And, when a team has to pass, their goal is for short yardage to gain a First Down, especially since the Eagles boast a formidable secondary: Asante Samuel and Nnamdi Asomugha.
When coupled with a defensive line featuring Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins, they go on to form the NFL’s 5th ranked Passing defense, with 9 total Sacks and giving up only 180.5 yards per game.
NFL PICKS Week 3
Eagles (-8.5) Under (48) – Eli is under 60% passing, under 250 yards per game, at a 1:1 TD/Interception ratio.
Ravens vs Patriots meet on Sunday in an AFC NFL Playoffs Wild Card game that is a repeat of a battle they staged in NFL Week 4. In a normal year, neither of the teams with a bye would want to face the New England Patriots. But with a slew of reported injuries for Patriots players, the Ravens have a good chance of pulling an upset. The Baltimore Ravens is still built on defense and the emergence of Ray Rice has allowed them to control the pace of games.
Eagles vs. Cowboys is the second NFL Playoffs Wild Card Game on Saturday night. This is the 3rd time the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Dallas Cowboys this year. The Cowboys have won the previous 2 meetings. These teams played last week in NFL Week 17 and the Cowboys won 24-0. : The Eagles have not been able to do what they want to do – score 24+ points, which they did 11 times this season. Unfortunately the Eagles have not done this against a team that qualified for the playoffs this NFL season.
Eagles vs Cowboys is the marquee match-up for NFL Picks Week 17 All Sunday Games. This game is one of few where there is a playoff implication for both opponents. If the Philadelphia Eagles win, they clinch the 2nd seed of the NFC playoffs. A Dallas Cowboys’ win and Minnesota Vikings loss gives them the 2nd seed of the NFC playoffs. A win for either team makes them the NFC East division champion. For the Dallas Cowboys, all talks of a December dive have been put to rest because of two consecutive wins, which allowed them to finish 2-2 for the month.
Eagles vs Broncos is the marquee match-up for NFL Picks Week 16 All Sunday Games. Simply put, the Philadelphia Eagles have been brutalizing opponents and making a strong push for the NFC Playoffs 2nd seed. Their opponent, the Denver Broncos come off a loss to the Oakland Raiders, and are barely holding on to their AFC Playoffs Wild Card hopes. They dropped from 9 to 13 in our Power Rankings this past week. : :
All HOME teams are favored for this Sunday’s games, except for the Washington Redskins. This might sound like an easy week to be picking but the favored Titans lost yesterday.
Giants vs. Redskins is tonight’s match-up for NFL Picks Week 15 Monday Night Football and will give a clearer NFL Playoffs update for the NFC. The New York Giants’ playoffs hope hangs in the balance tonight as they travel to face the Washington Redskins. The NFC playoffs picture got clearer in recent days as the Dallas Cowboys beat the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, and then the Carolina Panthers defeated the Minnesota Vikings last night. These two outcomes clinched a playoff spot for the Philadelphia Eagles and give the Eagles an outside chance of a bye week.
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