A stingy defense and timely offense are among the reasons the Eagles currently own the top spot in the NFC.
Sunday’s 16-9 victory over the Detroit Lions left the Birds at 8-2 with seven regular-season games remaining. The Los Angeles Rams are also 8-2, but the Eagles have the advantage over the Rams in a tie-breaking scenario by virtue of a 33-26 win over the Ewes earlier this season.
If you believe some fans, a certain semi-retired columnist has also been a major factor behind the Eagles’ success.
Week after week, I offer my predictions for the Eagles’ upcoming games.
There have been times – the last two games, for example – when I’ve picked them to lose, only to see the Eagles pull out victories.
That’s happened a lot. My record currently sits at 3-7. Besides the Lions and Packers, I also incorrectly picked them to lose to the Rams, Buccaneers and Vikings. My other defeats came when I thought they would beat the Broncos and Giants the first time.
Now everyone thinks I should pick against them, thus ensuring they will make another trip to the Super Bowl.
I didn’t used to be this bad at picking Eagles games.
Back in the day, when I spent all week speaking to players and coaches, I developed a feel for the way I thought games would unfold. There were seasons when I would go 14-2, 13-3 or something to that effect.
Nowadays, my pregame prep consists of a couple rounds of golf during the week, occasionally picking up two of our four grandsons from school, weekend breakfasts with the kids, and enjoying game days on my sofa.
I got off to a strong start this season, correctly forecasting wins over the Cowboys and Chiefs. But it’s been a disaster ever since.
So much so that before each Eagles game, I’m besieged with texts, calls and messages on social media urging me to go against the Birds, thus guaranteeing an Eagles win.
Unbeknownst to diehard fans such as Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and former Atlantic City High School boys basketball coach Gene Allen, I’ve been using reverse psychology to appease the masses.
Actually, that’s not true.
Do I want the Eagles to win each week? Absolutely. It would make life so much easier. But it’s hard to go with my heart instead of my gut after nearly four decades of having unbiased opinions.
That’s of little consolation to my wife, who upon reading my predictions before each game quickly accuses me of drinking “Hater-ade.”
And all this time, I thought I was drinking coffee.
By the way, I’m picking the Birds to win at Dallas this week, but fear not. They will lose to the Bears and Chargers in the next two games.
This coffee tastes like “Hater-ade.”
Cedar Creek, Holy Spirit vying for state titles
The Cedar Creek High School football team stayed alive in the state playoffs with a dramatic victory over local rival Mainland Regional in the South Jersey Group 3 championship game last Friday.
Quarterback Frenchmon Bethea connected with wide receiver Gyan King for a 65-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left in regulation to clinch a 34-28 win.
Cedar Creek (10-2), which has won four sectional titles since starting a varsity program in 2011, will next visit Central Jersey champion Holmdel (9-2) in the state semifinals Friday.
Mainland, which had won three straight sectional titles, ended its season at 7-5.
Holy Spirit also secured a last-second victory to advance in the state Non-Public B playoffs.
Spartans quarterback Ty Costabile found wide receiver Emanuel Gerena for a 1-yard TD with 10 seconds remaining to earn a 34-27 win over Donovan Catholic.
Holy Spirit (7-3) will next take on top-seeded Donovan Catholic in the state semifinals Friday.
Like Mainland, Atlantic City saw its quest for a state title end last week. The Vikings dropped a 38-21 decision to Kingsway Regional in the South Jersey Group 5 final last Friday.
Ocean City wins state girls cross country title
The Ocean City girls cross country team won its first state championship since 1988 earlier this month.
The Red Raiders outscored second-place Middletown South 61-68 to win the state Group 3 title at Holmdel Park.
Sophomore Riley Tolson led Ocean City with a third-place finish in the 3.1-mile race. Carly Godfrey (8th), Peighton Clemens (27th), Lenna Driscoll (37th) and Bella Cera (38th) also placed.
The Ocean City boys squad finished second in the team race in Group 3 behind only champion Colts Neck.
Local NFL update
Jaguars rookie running back LeQuint Allen (Millville) had a career-high eight carries for 36 yards (4.5 yards per carry) in Jacksonville’s 35-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Packers cornerback/wide receiver Bo Melton (Cedar Creek) gained 37 yards on two kickoff returns and made one tackle on special teams in Green Bay’s 27-20 win over the New York Giants.
Cardinals cornerback Max Melton (Cedar Creek), Bo’s brother, had four tackles and a pass defense in Arizona’s 41-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
