NFL: Cleveland at Philadelphia (8:35 PM ET, ESPN)
Perhaps it was the Thanksgiving meal, but whatever the case, the holiday has rallied the Eagles
2008-12-15
Perhaps it was the Thanksgiving meal, but whatever the case, the holiday has rallied the Eagles, who have come up with two huge wins over NFC divisional leaders since to climb back into the playoff hunt. Now to see if they can carry the momentum into a game they should win handily, on MNF at home vs. 4-9 Cleveland. The Eagles are backed by nearly 80% of public bettors at Sportsbook.com, despite a hefty chalk line.
Philly is a 14-point favorite and comes in with a 4-6 ATS mark as double-digit chalk under HC Andy Reid. They are 12-6 ATS on Monday night in his tenure. The Browns are 6-1 as a road dog of more than a TD under Romeo Crennel and 16-8 ATS coming off an ATS loss. The biggest hurdle Philly may have to overcome here is look ahead, as it closes the season with games at Washington then vs. Dallas, and at 7-5-1, may need to win out to reach the postseason.
Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson loves to dial up blitzes from every angle, and rusty Browns’ QB Ken Dorsey will find himself unprepared for the rush of Eagles. Jamal Lewis is averaging a mere 3.53 yards per carry, and the world should be happy Braylon Edwards is trying to catch footballs and not babies from a burning building. He’s dropped nearly half of the attempts thrown his way and has just 45 receptions.
The explosion has been missing from the Cleveland offense (21 points in the last three games), save for Brady Quinn’s first two NFL starts, and expecting it to return in Philadelphia with a third-string quarterback is a longshot.
Donovan McNabb’s bounced back since his benching in Baltimore, throwing for 451 yards and five touchdowns in two games, but more importantly not a single interception. The real trigger to the offense, however, isn’t McNabb but Brian Westbrook, and he has 333 total yards and six scores of his own since the debacle in Baltimore.
The Browns defense, led by D’Qwell Jackson’s 130 tackles, has limited the high-powered Texans, Colts and Titans to just 54 combined points and lost to them all. The defeats are more of a direct reflection of the offense’s struggles under Derek Anderson and Dorsey, than any shortcoming on defense.
PREDICTION: Looking to play the money line? Then the Eagles are one of the few no-brainers in Week 15. If Philadelphia is going to cover the hefty price, it’ll be due to Dorsey’s inexperience, not the Browns’ defense. PHILADELPHIA 23, CLEVELAND 7
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