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Week 7 brought us another winning selection in the NFL survivor pool. We had the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the visiting Arizona Cardinals 20-10.
Unfortunately, our No. 2 option went down the drain with the Washington Commanders losing at the New York Giants 14-7.
Now, on to Week 8.
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The chalk: Philadelphia Eagles
Who they play: At Washington Commanders – 1 p.m. (FOX)
Washington and Philadelphia routinely play exciting games. No matter the spread, close games have become more often in this series.
Philadelphia (6-1) won the season’s 1st meeting between these NFC East rivals 34-31 as a 10-point home favorite in Week 4. The Eagles have won 4 of the last 5 vs. the Commanders (3-4). They’ve also won their last 3 trips to Washington, including a 24-8 victory as 6-point favorites last season.
QB Jalen Hurts tweaked his knee in a 31-17 home victory against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday night, but he didn’t miss any practice time and is expected to play vs. the Commanders.
WR A.J. Brown is coming off another great game, pulling in 10 receptions for 137 yards and a TD on 15 targets vs. the Dolphins. TE Dallas Goedert, on National Tight End’s Day — who knew there was such as thing? — had a good game as well with 5 receptions for 77 yards and 1 TD.
Philadelphia has yet to hit its stride during the 1st part of the season. With a bye week ahead in Week 10 followed by a brutal schedule — at Kansas City vs. Buffalo, vs. San Francisco, at Dallas, at Seattle — this is the best time for the Eagles to get things going against a Washington team that allowed 5 sacks of QB Sam Howell in the 1st half of Sunday’s loss to the Giants. New York came into that game with just 5 sacks total on the season.
It was the 6th time in 7 games Howell was sacked at least 5 times. Howell is the first QB since David Carr in 2002 to be sacked at least 40 times in the first 7 games of a season. If the Giants were able to get to Howell with their limited pass rush last weekend, Eagles LB Haason Reddick, DL Jalen Carter and Co. shouldn’t have a problem getting to Howell for at least 5 more sacks Sunday.
The Eagles defense, which held the high-scoring Dolphins to just 17 points, will be key vs. the Commanders. With S Kevin Byard recently acquired from the Tennessee Titans to solidify an injured Eagles secondary, any ability the Commanders would have to throw the ball could be gone. Running the ball won’t be much easier as the Eagles rush defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL by allowing just 62.9 rushing yards per game (YPG).
All the signs point to another Philadelphia victory, which is why the EAGLES ARE MY TOP WEEK 8 SURVIVOR POOL PICK.
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No. 2 option: Los Angeles Chargers
Who they play: Home vs. Chicago Bears – 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
The Chargers (2-4) are coming off a 31-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Bears (2-5) are not the Chiefs.
Yes, Chicago was able to beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7 by a score of 30-12 as a 2.5-point home underdog. But the Raiders defense was unable to put any pressure on Bears QB Tyson Bagent, who was only sacked twice for a total of 12 yards. With SS Derwin James Jr. in the secondary and Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack on the line, the Chargers, at home, will be able to put more pressure on the Bears rookie QB.
With QB Jimmy Garoppolo out, the Raiders turned to QB Brian Hoyer. vs. the Bears. Chicago won’t have such a luxury Sunday as Chargers QB Justin Herbert is at full health and is coming off a game against the Chiefs in which he was 17 for 30 for 259 passing yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions.
The Bears defense will provide a much softer challenge than the Raiders. Chicago’s defense ranks 29th in pass defense, yielding 257.1 YPG.
The Chargers don’t want to run the ball. They average 111.8 rushing YPG, good for 16th in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Bears defense is tough against the run, ranking 5th in allowing 82.3 rushing YPG. yards and 2nd in yards per carry allowed (3.4).
This will be a game of strength against weakness. Chargers WRs Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer will look to exploit a weak Bears secondary, and RB Austin Ekeler will also gain yards in the pass game from the backfield.
Both teams have been disappointing this season, but the Chargers are at home and are the better team. They will win this game. They are a solid secondary selection for your NFL survivor pool if you already used the Eagles or prefer to save them for later.
Others to consider
Kansas City Chiefs: At Broncos – 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens: At Cardinals – 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
2023 survivor game log
NO. 1 OPTION
Week 1: WIN – Ravens 25, Texans 9
Week 2: WIN – Cowboys 30, Jets 10
Week 3: WIN – Dolphins 70, Broncos 20
Week 4: LOSS – Titans 27, Bengals 3
Week 5: WIN – Lions 42, Panthers 24
Week 6: WIN – Rams 26, Cardinals 9
Week 7: WIN – Seahawks 20, Cardinals 10
NO. 2 OPTION
Week 1: WIN: Commanders 20, Cardinals 16
Week 2: WIN – Bills 38, Raiders 10
Week 3: WIN – Chiefs 41, Jets 10
Week 4: WIN – 49ers 35, Cardinals 16
Week 5: LOSS – Steelers 17, Ravens 10
Week 6: WIN – Bills 14, Giants 9
Week 7: LOSS – Giants 14, Commanders 7
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