Philadelphia Eagles: Win or go home vs. division-leading Texans
By Carl Naimoli
The Philadelphia Eagles are facing yet another top team this week against Houston. They know that a win is needed to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The most important game of the season is here for the Philadelphia Eagles as they take on the 10-4 Houston Texans in Week 16. If the Eagles lose this week and fall to 7-8, their chances at a Wild Card spot become almost impossible. It virtually is a win or go home scenario for the Eagles.
Nick Foles will be under center again in place of the still ailing Carson Wentz. Foles will be asked to do the same thing he did last week against the Rams: Beat one of the best teams in football. He’ll probably need to perform even better than the steady showing he had last week.
The Texans are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 10 of their last 11 games. They are led by second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson on offense and All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt on defense. Even though they have all but locked down the AFC South title, they still are fighting to earn a first-round playoff bye.
Even with the Eagles having a backup quarterback at the helm and the big difference in records the Eagles are 2.5-point favorites. The Eagles haven’t played very well this season as a favorite. They’ve had letdown after letdown. Their best game of the season came in Week 15 against the Rams when they were a double-digit underdog. They’ll need to figure out how to win when they are expected to.
One of the most important changes that happened with the Eagles offense last week was the mix of run and pass. With Wentz leading the way the team got pass-happy far too often. Doug Pederson and the coordinators were dedicated to becoming a more balanced offense last week. They’ll need to continue that pattern to be successful.
Next. 2018 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 16. dark
Even if the Eagles beat Houston, they will still need to win against Washington next week and hope that the Vikings lose one their last two games. While they don’t control their own destiny, they still need to win to stay alive. Week 16 is officially do or die for the 2018 season.