Eagles Wake-Up Call: Draft Watch, Week 16 Edition
With Thursday night’s loss to the Bengals, the Eagles fell to 4-10 on the season with two games left.
Only two teams – the Jaguars (2-12) and the Chiefs (2-12) – have fewer wins. Three teams – the Raiders, Lions and Titans – have the same number of victories as the Eagles. There’s a bit of a catch here since the Titans (4-9) play the Jets tonight.
The tiebreaker among teams with the same record is strength of schedule. The team with the overall easier schedule gets the higher pick. In other words, you get rewarded for being terrible against worse competition. Here’s a look at what the top six picks would look like if the Titans were to lose tonight.
| Wins | Losses | Opponent SOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs (1) | 2 | 12 | .500 |
| Jaguars (2) | 2 | 12 | .538 |
| Raiders (3) | 4 | 10 | .455 |
| Eagles (4) | 4 | 10 | .513 |
| Titans (5) | 4 | 10 | .518 |
| Lions (6) | 4 | 10 | .563 |
If Tennessee beats the Jets, the Lions move up to the No. 5 spot. But regardless of what happens tonight, the Eagles have the fourth pick – for now.
This is your weekly reminder that a lot can change in the next two weeks. There are currently five teams at 5-9 (the Panthers, Cardinals, Bills, Browns and Chargers). And four more with six wins (the Rams, Saints, Bucs, Jets and Dolphins).
The Eagles close out the season with a home game at the Linc against the Redskins Sunday afternoon and then a trip to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants.
WHAT YOU MISSED
The Eagles’ younger players are providing a ray of hope, writes McManus.
A look at defensive line production from last week, focusing on Fletcher Cox, Trent Cole and Brandon Graham.
Game review of the Eagles’ offensive line performance and a separate post looking back at how Nick Foles did.
Should we add Nick Saban to the list of potential Andy Reid successors? And did you hear what Ron Jaworski had to say about Saban? Check out Tim’s post.
Comparing the numbers between Graham and Jason Pierre-Paul this season might surprise you.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Todd Bowles was on a short list to success Reid, according to the National Football Post:
One reason Todd Bowles may have been promoted to defensive coordinator by the Eagles is he had been the league’s informal No. 1 candidate to become the next minority head coach, and the plan was to push him for head coaching interviews. Even the brain trust in Philly had him on a short list to succeed Andy Reid. A solid showing by the Eagles defense would have easily put him in the driver’s seat for upcoming interviews. However the performance of the Eagles D will most likely seriously diminish his stock as a head coaching candidate. The top minority candidate now could be Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.
Tommy Lawlor of IgglesBlitz.com writes about the future of the Eagles’ offensive line for SB Nation:
Danny Watkins has been a disappointment so far. There is some hope for him. If the new coach believes in the run game, Watkins has a chance to succeed. It doesn’t look like he’ll ever thrive as a guy who is pass blocking 40 times a game consistently. Watkins has the raw talent to be a good starter. It isn’t translating to his play on the field. He is another player that could possibly benefit from a new coach coming in and shaking things up. Watkins needs to know that you perform at a certain level or you get cut. Period.
COMING UP
After getting the weekend off, the Eagles are back at Novacare. We’ll have everything covered.
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