2011 NFL Point Spreads Week 5: It’s pretty safe to say that sitting at the cellar of the NFC East after 4 Weeks wasn’t exactly what Andy Reid, Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles had in mind this season. Coming off an extremely disappointing loss to the far less-talented, San Francisco 49ers, Philly’s 1-3 mark has put to rest all the talks about this being a “Dream Team”.
This week, the last-place (1-3) Philadelphia Eagles [-3] will prepare to take on a team that, in contrast, has already overachieved all expectations this season, the NFL Point Spreads underdogs, (3-1) Buffalo Bills [+3]. This AFC intraconference showdown will take place at Ralph Wilson Stadium, beginning at 1 PM ET on FOX.
“After being around the guys, today, I think everybody's just ready to let it all hang out,” Vick said this week. “The Dream Team thing is over. Now we just have to forget about everything that's happened and take it one game at a time. That's what I've sensed in the locker room. I sense change. Nobody's happy about this.”
But as much as people would like to place the blame for the Eagles early woes on Vick, truth is that there’s enough blame to go around, starting on the defensive end. Going into Week 5, Philly’s defense has left a lot to be desires, especially against the run. Currently, the Eagles’ rush-defense ranks among the worst in the league.
Per game, Philadelphia is allowing teams to run the ball for an average of 140 yards. In fact, only the Carolina Panthers (144 rypg) and the St. Louis Rams (180 rypg) are worse than Philly defending the run. Get $50 in Free NFL Picks here!
The Eagles’ defense has also done a very poor job of keeping their opposition off the scoreboard. This is evident by the fact that they’re currently ranked 28th in the league in points allowed (101; 25.2 ppg). Only the Raiders, the Rams and the Chiefs have given up more points defensively.
“It's the worst," Vick said of the team’s automatic Super Bowl expectations. “At this level, in a game of this magnitude, especially for our organization and how hard we've worked, it makes it very difficult. Now the only thing to do is to go out there and get it worked out.”
