With all due respect to the Falcons and Packers (and remember, I am saying with all due respect), the Eagles are clearly the team to beat right now in the NFC.
Atlanta currently owns the best record now in the NFC at 8-2. But they had a chance to go head to head against the Eagles in Week 6 and they were beaten like a rented mule in all facets of the game. And that was when Kevin Kolb was at quarterback for Philadelphia – not Michael Vick.
The Packers beat the Eagles in the opening week of the season but Kolb started that game too. Vick nearly lead Philly to a fourth quarter comeback, but Green Bay hung on for an impressive road win. Since then, the Packers have been decimated by injuries and Vick is now playing at an MVP level.
The Giants had their opportunity to beat the Eagles as well and while they played well for about a quarter, Philly eventually beat them too. New York did some good things defensively in efforts to contain Vick, but the Eagles also missed several opportunities in the first half to build a sizeable lead. Either way, the scoreboard at the end of the game read Eagles 27, Giants 17 and that’s all that matters. The rest is just details.
We’re going to find out more about the Packers and Falcons when they play each other this Sunday. Both are solid football teams and are red hot at the moment, but people hesitate declaring either the best in the NFC. Again, the Packers have injury issues and the Falcons’ defense is still a work in progress.
But we know what we have in the Eagles. As long as Vick stays healthy, this team will be tough to beat down the stretch. Granted, they still have to go on the road to New York, Chicago and Dallas (which is rejuvenated under Jason Garrett), but the Eagles seemingly have fewer weaknesses than their NFC counterparts.
Forget the records – this is the best team in the conference at the moment.
