The Philadelphia Eagles are about to start their title defense in the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers today. It’s a massive Wild Card matchup between two polar opposite teams. One of them likes to win through their defense, and the other likes to win through their offense.
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However, some Philadelphia fans think the Eagles can dominate on both defense and offense. One of those people is former franchise legend LeSean “Shady” McCoy.
McCoy was drafted by the Eagles in 2009, and in his six-year tenure, he earned two First-Team All-Pro selections, two Pro Bowl nods, and became the team’s TD and rushing leader in two separate seasons. And he expects his former team to handle the 49ers easily this Sunday.
“I can see us winning by 10 points, but being dominant the way we do it. We’re going to shut them down on defense,” Shady stated during a segment of Speakeasy.
“I’ve seen the way the Seahawks played them, believe me, we’ve got the same type of team. And then on offense, we’ve got way more than the Seahawks,” added the former running back.
It was an interesting analysis that deserves a deeper dive. The Eagles may have more offensive weapons on paper than the Seattle Seahawks, but have they played that way this season? The answer is no.
This season, Seattle has actually scored 104 more points than Philadelphia. They’ve also held teams to 33 fewer points than the Eagles. In general, the Seahawks have been the more consistent team.
However, that was the regular season, and that time is now over. It’s playoff time, and the stars usually shine brightest this time of the year. The Eagles have a bunch of stars on their offense. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and Devonta Smith lead the way. But they also have a stellar offensive line and good backups.
The defense is going to be the main weapon for the Eagles in the playoffs, though. They’ve all gotten healthy and have started to look more dominant in recent weeks. It’s the main reason why they should win the game today.
At the same time, Philly can’t overlook the 49ers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is a master at winning games he’s not supposed to. He does it through impeccable play-calling and controlling the time of possession. If the Niners can get off to a good start on offense and get in a rhythm, the upset alarm could start ringing in this one.
We’ll just have to wait and see what transpires in this Wild Card matchup. As of now, the Eagles are favored by six points to win. But again, that could all change once the game starts and the ball gets moving. San Francisco still has some deadly weapons on offense like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and, of course, Brock Purdy. They could get hot at the drop of a hat.
