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Eagles Face Rough Test Against 10-1 New England Patriots

By Kevin McGuire

After losing a third straight game, the chances of winning are not looking all too favorable for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles head north to take on the New England Patriots next Sunday, and the Patriots will be looking to rebound following their first loss of the season. Be prepared. This could get even uglier real fast.

Season Record

The Patriots took their first loss of the season on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. Before that, the Patriots had won the first 10 games of the season, putting them firmly in first place in the AFC East. They will start the week with a four-game lead on the New York Jets and are well on their way to clinching the division soon.

The Eagles and Patriots have played 12 times before, including in the Super Bowl back at the end of the 2004 season. Including New England's Super Bowl triumph over the Birds, the series is split with each team winning six games. The Patriots, however, are riding a four-game winning streak that began in 2003. The last time the Eagles won against the Patriots was 1999, and their last win at New England was back in 1987. They last played in 2011, with the Eagles coming up on the wrong end of a 38-20 final score.

Patriots on Offense

The Eagles will be in for a long afternoon if their pass defense does not improve. New England will bring the NFL's top-ranked passing offense, which is averaging 315.1 yards per game with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady at the helm. Brady is sitting on 3,600 passing yards and 28 touchdowns this season. Tight end Rob Gronkowski leads the team as Brady's top receiver with 931 yards and nine touchdowns, though he may be out of action though after being injured in the Sunday night game.

One of Chip Kelly's former Oregon Ducks will be there to run the football for New England as well. LeGarrette Blount has rushed for a team-high 596 yards and six touchdowns, but running the football is not New England's best option. New England thrives through the air, but the Eagles defense can be worn down with Blount running the football.

New England is also scoring in bunches. The Patriots rank third in the NFL in scoring average with 29.2 points scored per game.

Patriots on Defense

The Patriots are also doing a good job keeping opponents out of the end zone. New England has the NFL's third best scoring defense, allowing just under 20 points per game (19.3 ppg allowed) this season. New England is 3-0 against the NFC East this year, and they allowed just six points to Dallas and 10 to Washington. The Giants managed to score 26 in a 27-26 win by the Patriots.

Logan Ryan leads the Patriots with four interceptions this season, and former Eagle Patrick Chung is the leading tackler in New England (of course he is). One other key defensive player for New England, fourth-year linebacker Dont'a Hightower, may be questionable for Sunday's game. Hightower left Sunday night's game with a knee injury.

New England's Players to Watch

QB Tom Brady: In three career games against the Eagles, Brady is a perfect 3-0 and a Super Bowl champ. Brady has completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 996 yards and seven touchdowns and he has never been picked off by an Eagles defender.

S Patrick Chung: When he was in Philadelphia, Patrick Chung was never anything special. Now he leads New England with 58 tackles; which suggests you can throw on him, he just won't let you go very far after making a catch. Chung has zero interceptions this season.

Outlook>

This one may not be very pretty for Chip Kelly and the Eagles. The Patriots are everything Eagles owner Jeff Lurie aspires the Eagles to be, without the cheating of course. Cheating or not, the Patriots have plenty of talent that fills Bill Belichick's system and philosophies well year after year. That leads to plenty of wins and a franchise with stability and a winning attitude. Kelly should take notes on how the Patriots run things, because he could learn a thing or two up close and in person this week.

Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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