The Eagles dominated the Cowboys yesterday, only letting them score a mercy TD in the fourth quarter.  Michael Vick was outstanding as he completed 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 50 yards (7.1 ypc) for the Eagles in this game.  Lesean McCoy led the way on the ground in this game with 185 yards on 30 carries (6.2 ypc) with 2 TD grabs.  McCoy also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg) in this game.  TE Brent Celek (7 rec, 94 yards, TD), WR Jason Avant (5 rec, 74 yards) and WR Jeremy Maclin (3 rec, 54 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Eagles last night.  The Eagles finished up with 38 carries for 239 yards (6.3 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 28 passes (75%) for 256 yards as they had possession of the ball for 42:09.

The defense was outstanding for the Eagles last night.  LB Jamar Chaney led the way for the Eagles last night with 7 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  CB Asante Samuel (4 tackles and 1 pass defensed), DE Jason Babin (3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and CB Nnamdi Asomugha (3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) also pitched in for the Eagles in this game.  The Cowboys finished up with 85 yards rushing on 10 carries (8.5 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 35 passes (51.4%) for 182 yards.  The Eagles are now 3-4 on the year.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off their bye week, so they have had two weeks to get ready for the HUGE GAME tomorrow night at home against the Cowboys.  The Cowboys thrashed the Rams 34-7 in Dallas last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles will likely come out throwing the ball tomorrow night instead of challenging the rock solid run D of the Cowboys (69.7 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry).  To do that though, the Eagles are going to have to keep the Cowboys’ DEs and OLBs out of the backfield.  That will be easier said than done, as OLB DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys already has 8 sacks so far this year.  If Vick has time to throw the ball, he’s going to make plays down the field to Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant.  The Eagles are going to need to get something out of Lesean McCoy against the Cowboys’ D in an effort to keep them honest.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are going to give the Eagles’ D fits all night long tomorrow.  Rookie RB DeMarco Murray is the kind of back that gives the Eagles fits, as they are on the small side on the inside.  The Eagles’ secondary has also proven to be vastly overrated so far this year.  The Eagles will need to get pressure on Tony Romo and force him into making some mistakes with the football.  If Romo has time to throw, he has the weapons to make the Eagles pay in TE Jason Witten and WRs Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 30, EAGLES 27

The Philadelphia Eagles are getting good production out of their WRs so far in 2011.  Jeremy Maclin has been the most consistently good WR for the Eagles so far this year.  He has caught 37 passes for 489 yards (13.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this year.  DeSean Jackson is still the best downtown threat for the Eagles.  He has caught 24 passes for 456 yards (19.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Some have suddenly questioned his toughness over the middle of the field, but overall, he has been solid.  Jason Avant is a solid #3 WR for the Eagles.  He has caught 26 passes for 338 yards (13.0 avg) so far this year.  He does all of the dirty work over the middle for the Eagles.  Steve Smith will be a huge asset when he’s finally back to near 100% healthy.  Smith has caught 5 passes for 63 yards (12.6 avg) so far this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles are averaging 170.0 yards rushing per game so far this year and an incredible 5.7 yards per carry!  Lesean McCoy and Michael Vick are going the heavy lifting in the running game for the Eagles.  McCoy has played in six games for the Eagles so far this year and he has carried the ball 105 times for 569 yards (5.4 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He has also caught 21 passes for 123 yards (5.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in 2011.  QB Michael Vick continues to run well.  He has played in all six games for the Eagles so far this year and he has carried the ball 45 times for 372 yards (8.3 ypc), which is pretty darn impressive.  Ronnie Brown is still an Eagle.  He has played in six games this year and he has carried the ball 13 times for 38 yards (2.9 ypc).  Rookie RB Dion Lewis has also played in all six games for the Eagles and he has 7 carries for 31 yards (4.4 ypc).  He has also caught 1 pass for -3 yards.  The Eagles need to continue to make teams pay that try to stop their passing game.

The Eagles have acquired 28-year old RB Jerome Harrison and a 7th round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft from the Detroit Lions for 29-year old RB Ronnie Brown.  Harrison played in 4 games for the Lions this year and he carried the ball 14 times for 41 yards (2.9 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 3 yards.  Harrison played in 8 games for the Eagles last year and he carried the ball 40 times for 239 yards (6.0 ypc) with 1 TD carry and he also caught 8 passes for 43 yards (5.4 avg).  Harrison has now played in 63 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 356 times for 1,681 yards (4.7 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He has also caught 70 passes for 490 yards (7.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Harrison should be able to play right away for the Eagles as he knows the playbook well and he’s a good fit in the offense.  Ronnie Brown just didn’t fit in with the Eagles.  He played in 6 games for the Eagles this year and he carried the ball 13 times for 38 yards (2.9 ypc).  This was a good deal for the Eagles.

UPDATE:  (8/19/2011) – This deal has been voided due to health issues concerning Jerome Harrison.  So Ronnie Brown is on his way back to the Eagles.

The Eagles had a 20-3 lead at the half before having to hold on in the 4th quarter to prevail.  Michael Vick completed 18 of 31 passes for 237 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 54 yards (7.7 ypc) in this game.  Vince Young got into the game when Vick missed a few plays because he got dirt in his eyes.  Young was 0 for 1 passing with a interception.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards yesterday.  Lesean McCoy led the way on the ground for the Eagles in this game with 126 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD grab and he also caught 2 passes for 13 yards (6.5 avg).  WR Jeremy Maclin led the way for the Eagles in the passing game yesterday as he caught 5 passes for 101 yards (20.2 avg).  WR Desean Jackson (3 rec, 46 yards), TE Brent Celek (4 rec, 42 yards, TD) and WR Jason Avant (3 rec, 28 yards) also pitched in for the Eagles in the passing game.  The Eagles finished up with 192 yards rushing on 38 carries (5.1 ypc) and they completed 18 of 32 passes (56.3%) for 230 yards as they held the ball for 38:08.

The defense finally showed what it is capable of yesterday.  Safety Kurt Coleman led the way for the Eagles’ D yesterday with 7 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  LB Brian Rolle (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and safety Nate Allen (3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games for the Eagles yesterday.  The Redskins finished up with 42 yards rushing on 14 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 37 passes (45.9%) for 245 yards.  The Eagles are now 2-4 on the season.

The Eagles are limping right now as they have lost four games in a row.  The Redskins are coming off a bye week, so they have had two weeks to get ready for the Eagles.  These teams split their two games last year, which each team winning on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Eagles have the ball:  Michael Vick had a game for the ages in his last trip to Washington.  He completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4%) for 333 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 8 times for 80 yards (10.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his last meeting with the Redskins as the Eagles rolled up 592 total yards on offense against them.  This is a new look and really good defense that the Redskins are sporting this year, so the Eagles are likely going to have to do some things different in this game.  The Redskins have 15 sacks already in their first four games of the year, so they are going to put pressure on Vick and he’s going to have to make some throws from the pocket.  Opposing QBs only have a 73.5 QB Rating against the Redskins, so Vick is going to have to be careful with the football.  The WRs (Jason Avant, Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin) are going to have to be willing to take some hits in this game.  Lesean McCoy has been outstanding so far this year and the Redskins are giving up 4.3 yards per carry, so he has a chance to have a nice game in Washington.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins are going to come out running the ball with Ryan Torain, Tim Hightower and Roy Helu getting their fair share of carries against an Eagles’ D that is allowing 140.2 yards rushing per game and a stunning 5.0 yards per carry!  The Redskins’ game plan is to try to control the clock and the football, so the Eagles better stop their running game this Sunday.  The corners have played lousy for the Eagles so far this year, so Rex Grossman might make them pay this Sunday as long as he has time to throw the ball.  The Eagles have 16 sacks already this year and they are going to be coming after Grossman to try to force him into making some mistakes with the ball.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 30, EAGLES 27

The Eagles gave 31-year old QB Michael Vick a huge contract extension based on his production in 2010.  He’s been proving that 2010 was a mirage despite having decent numbers so far this year.  He has played in five games for the Eagles so far this year and he has completed 105 of 169 passes (62.1%) for 1,336 yards with 8 TD passes and 7 INTs (85.3 QB Rating).  Vick has also carried the ball 37 times for 318 yards (8.6 ypc) so far this year.  Those are pretty solid numbers but Vick’s interceptions have proved very costly so far this year.

The Eagles didn’t play too well today and they were lucky this game was as close as it finished on the scoreboard.  Michael Vick was lousy today as he completed 26 of 40 passes for 315 yards with 2 TD passes and 4 INTs (one was returned 31 yards for a TD by Bills’ LB Nick Barnett).  Vick also carried the ball 5 times for 90 yards (18.0 ypc) in this game.  Lesean McCoy was underused in this game by the Eagles.  He carried the ball 11 times for 80 yards (7.3 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 27 yards (6.8 avg).  WRs Jason Avant (9 rec, 139 yards), Desean Jackson (5 rec, 86 yards, TD) and Jeremy Maclin (6 rec, 54 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Eagles in this game.  The Eagles finished up with 174 yards on 19 carries (9.2 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 40 passes (65%) for 315 yards as they had possession of the ball for 26:22.

The defense wasn’t much better than the offense was today.  Safeties Nate Allen (13 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and Jarrad Page (11 tackles) led the way for the Eagles’ on D in this game.  LBs Brian Rolle (9 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and Jamar Chaney (8 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) also pitched for the Eagles on D.  The Bills finished up with 143 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 27 passes (77.8%) for 188 yards.  The Eagles are now 1-4 as the Dream Team was quickly transformed in the Nightmare Team.

This is actually a pretty good matchup for the Eagles this weekend as they are catching the Bills coming off their first loss of the year.  This is going to be a high scoring team as neither of these teams are playing much D.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Eagles have the ball:  This is going to be the first game that Michael Vick isn’t going to get beat up in.  The Bills only have 4 sacks this year, so Vick should be able to have enough time either to stay in the pocket or roll out and make some plays on the run.  Vick will have to pay attention to where the safeties are as they are ballhawks for the Bills.  That being said,  I look for him to take a lot of deep shots down the field to Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson as the Bills are allowing 275.5 yards passing per game so far this year.  The Bills have not stopped the run too well this year either as they are allowing 129.5 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  That means that Lesean McCoy is likely going to have a big day this Sunday.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Eagles will try to key on RB Fred Jackson of the Bills (369 yards rushing, 5.8 ypc) in this game.  The Eagles are giving up 139.5 yards rushing per game and 5.3 yards per carry so far this year!  Jackson is going to be a HUGE part of the offensive gameplan for the Bills this weekend.  The Eagles already have 15 sacks this year but Ryan Fitzpatrick has only been sacked 2 times, so something has to give.  If the Eagles get a good rush on Fitzpatrick, he will likely make some mistakes with the ball.  Maybe then the overhyped corners will start making some plays.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 33, BILLS 24