Eagles should be feeling disrepected
The Philadelphia Eagles are a good team. They aren’t going to win the Super Bowl barring the unforeseen, but they are good enough to challenge for the NFC East, which says plenty about their caliber.
Yet, somehow, they are two-point underdogs against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the game is on the road, Philadelphia should be laying a couple of points considering what we have seen from both squads. Los Angeles is 0-3 and while the first two losses came by a combined five points, they are still losses. Not to mention, the Chargers are a rancid 9-26 over their past 35 games and have absolutely no home-field advantage to speak of in the tiny StubHub Center.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have already beaten the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. They did lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, but only by seven points at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers got the Chiefs at home last weekend and lost by 14.
Nobody is looking at the Eagles and thinking they should be a touchdown favorite, but to be underdogs, albeit road dogs, is laughable. Vegas always gives the home team three points, which means that if this game were being played on a neutral field, the Eagles would only be favored by a point. In what world is Philadelphia only better than Los Angeles by a single point?
On the other side this coin, why do the Chargers continually get such respect from both the oddsmakers and the bettors? Los Angeles has been one of the worst teams over the past two years, picking in the top seven selections each spring. This year, the team is 0-3 and while the margin of defeat hasn’t been outrageous, it’s still 0-3 with a roster high on stars but low on supporting talent.
Philadelphia should be able to take care of business on Sunday afternoon and if it does, start to make the case for a team on the rise. Carson Went went through his struggles as his 2016 rookie season wore on, but he’s come out strong with two 300-yard efforts to this point. The receivers have been much better with the additions of Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery, giving Went some real help. Defensively, few teams have the front seven of the Eagles’ caliber with Chris Long, Derek Barnett, Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Brandon Graham and others.
At some point, the Eagles should start seeing the lines move in their favor, while the Chargers are seen for the frauds they are. It’s one thing to struggle in a given season because of injuries. It’s another to be bad every year, through coaching changes and roster turnover.
Look for the Eagles to make a statement on Sunday in Los Angeles.
