[brid video=”664768″ player=”23231″ title=”NFL%20Week%207%20schedule%20and%20gamebygame%20predictions” duration=”183″ description=”NFL Week 7 consists of some tremendous matchups around the gridiron world. Two undefeated teams in that of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans will do battle in a game that was postponed from earlier in the year.Over in the NFC, we’re highly intrigued to see two surprising teams in that of the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams do battle on “Monday Night Football.”As we have done all year, here’s a look at the NFL Week 7 schedule with game-by-game predictions.” uploaddate=”2020-10-21 20:47:33″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/664768_t_1603313279.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/664768.mp4″]
Now, that was a pretty fun game. Going up directly against the Presidential Debate, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants did not fail to entertain those who chose to ignore politics during their “Thursday Night Football” matchup.
When all was said and done, Philadelphia earned its second win of the season by the score of 22-21. Both Carson Wentz and Daniel Jones played their best games of the season. Meanwhile, questions about Doug Pederson’s future with the Eagles and whether the 2-4-1 team will go into full-scale sell off mode heading into the NFL trade deadline may have been muted for a second.
Here are our takeaways from The Eagles’ one-point win over the Giants on Thursday night.
Related: NFL Week 7 schedule, predictions
The Philadelphia Eagles are still bad
Think about this for a second. The Giants entered Thursday night’s game averaging all of 16.8 points per outing, the second-worst total in the NFL. Daniel Jones had accounted for three passing touchdowns compared to six interceptions in six games. That’s until he hit Golden Tate with this amazing touchdown in the first quarter.
Jones also nearly scored on an 80-yard touchdown before tripping himself up inside the 10.
The Giants ultimately scored a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ offense remained stagnant until the end. That included another interception by the suddenly turnover-prone Carson Wentz. When all was said and done, the Eagles were able to improve to 2-4-1 on the season. In no way does this make Doug Pederson’s team even remotely viable in the NFC.
Related: 2022 NFL Power Rankings – Outlook for all 32 teams entering summer
The NFC East is also bad
As a writer, math might not be my strongest suit. Even then, it doesn’t take a beautiful mind to realize just how bad the NFC East has been this season. In fact, the below-average Dallas Cowboys entered Week 7 in first place with a 2-4 record. For comparison’s sake, the San Francisco 49ers are in last place in the NFC West with a .500 record.
NFC East teams are 2-15-1 outside of their division thus far this season. All four of the Los Angeles Rams’ wins have come against this division. As of right now, the New York Giants are still hilariously in contention with a 1-6 record. Could a team from this division make the playoffs with six or fewer wins? It’s more than possible.
Daniel Jones has rebound performance
As I noted above, Jones has been terrible as a sophomore. A lot of that has to do with Saquon Barkley’s season-ending injury and first-year head coach Joe Judge’s struggles transitioning into that role. While Jones was in no way perfect Thursday night, he played the best game of his season.
The talented young signal caller completed 20-of-30 passes for 187 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His touchdown total went up from three to five. Jones also added 92 yards on the ground, bringing his season total to 296 through seven games. The hope in New Jersey is that Jones can continue to ride this momentum moving forward. He will, however, have to start avoiding the turnover bug again. Jones had two more giveaways Thursday night.
Related: Top NFL quarterbacks heading into Week 7
Will Eagles coach Doug Pederson be fired?
Reports out of Philadelphia earlier in the season concluded that Pederson was on the hot seat. It’s amazing given that he’s just a few years removed from leading this franchise to its first ever Super Bowl title.
Down by the score of 21-10 in the fourth quarter on Thursday, a loss to a bad Giants team might have been the death knell for Pederson with the Eagles. And while they were able to come out on top in the end, questions will continue to be raised about Pederson’s future in Philadelphia.
The Eagles take on a reeling Dallas Cowboys team Week 8 before their only bye of the season. A loss in that game could lead to Pederson receiving his pink slip.
Related: NFL trade rumors
Will the Philadelphia Eagles be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
The Eagles (2-4-1) are now in first place in the NFC East pending the results of the Cowboys’ game against Washington on Sunday.
Putting that record aside for a second, it’s hard to imagine a team that close to first place actually blowing everything up and selling the farm. This fits with a recent report suggesting that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is going to be active ahead of the Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline.
Whether Thursday’s narrow win over New York changes this remains to be seen. What we do know is that tight end Zach Ertz is firmly on the trade block.