The Philadelphia Eagles are playing football again this week, and after a well-timed bye that allowed a few key offensive starters to heal up, they get what appears to be a soft reentry in Week 6 against the awful Cleveland Browns.
The Browns (1-4) were one of the NFL’s most surprising stories over the first month of the season. They travel to Philly Sunday in an ugly rut, losing consecutive games to the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders. Not exactly the iron of the NFL.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson has fans in Cleveland begging their franchise to come up with an exit strategy. He enters Week 6 ranked 28th in QB rating, with the Browns averaging a paltry 15.8 points per game, better only than the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.
With Philly healthier than it’s been since Week 1 and playing at home, Sunday feels like a prime spot for the Eagles to get their season back on track. They were listed as 9.5-point favorites on Friday morning, per BetMGM, the highest spread on the NFL’s Week 6 slate.
Not so fast, says NFL writer Garrett Podell of CBSSports.com.
In an absolute stunner, Podell predicts the Browns will upset the Eagles Sunday at the Linc. Here’s what he had to say for himself:
(Deshaun Watson) and the Browns are going to shock the world by upsetting the Eagles in Philadelphia as nine-point underdogs on Sunday. Why and how you ask? Well, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts leads the NFL in giveaways (27) since 2023, and he is struggling this season. Hurts has been sacked 10 times in his last two games and thrown interceptions in three of his four starts in 2024. Philadelphia's offensive line in Year 1 of the post-Jason Kelce era isn't doing Hurts any favors either: they are allowing a 45.2% quarterback pressure rate, the second-highest in the NFL ahead of only the New England Patriots' 46.2% rate. That's not an ideal place to be in when facing 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
Garrett and the defense do just enough by pressuring Hurts into a turnover or two, and Watson helps guide the Browns offense down the field against an Eagles defense that is allowing the sixth-most total yards per game (365.8) in the entire league this season for a stunning road triumph.
There’s a lot to unpack here.
An Eagles loss to Cleveland at home would be apocalyptic for Philly fans. More stunning than the loss would be head coach Nick Sirianni surviving Monday with his job.
On Jalen Hurts’ turnover streak, that’s fair to point out, especially against a Browns defense notorious for harassing opposing quarterbacks. Philly enters Week 6 with a dreadful, negative-six turnover differential. That’s not a recipe for winning football.
But is Cleveland still that team in 2024? The Browns have forced just five total turnovers in five games. They’ve piled up 14 sacks — four of them credited to Myles Garrett — but only rank tied for 11th in that category among NFL defenses. It’s still a stronger than average defense, but the offense has been so anemic for Cleveland that it hasn’t made much of a difference.
The Eagles should be able to win this game, and do so convincingly. If Podell hits on his upset pick, it’s officially panic time in the 215.
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