10-09-2018, 02:34 AM
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/could-jay-ajayi-injury-pave-way-for-eagles-leveon-bell-trade-how-rb-impacts-playoff-odds/
The Eagles have had a run of bad luck to start the 2018 NFL season, going 2-3 to start the year and now losing their starting running back, with Jay Ajayi hitting injured reserve thanks to a torn ACL suffered against the Vikings on Sunday.
It leaves Philly in a precarious position -- it's in the middle of a crowded, sloppy NFC East with only Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement available at the running back position. So why not avoiding going home by going big? The Eagles have a potential replacement out there in the form of Le'Veon Bell.
The Steelers' running back is in the middle of a holdout but the team has made it clear they would like to trade him.
Part of the problem is they need a team that's in need of a shot in the
arm offensively and is willing to sacrifice a pick (probably a
third-round selection at this point) in order to try and make a playoff
push. The Eagles are one of the few teams that fit the bill: they could
find a way to sign Bell if they want, or just give up a third to chase
another title.
In
the interest of curiosity, SportsLine's Stephen Oh -- who appears once a
week on the Pick Six Podcast breaking down the stats you need to know
for fantasy and gambling, subscribe right here -- ran projections to see how much the loss of Ajayi hurts the Eagles and how much the addition of Bell would help Philly.
And
the results were kind of shocking. With the loss of Ajayi, the Eagles'
odds of winning the NFC East fell from 34.3 percent to 29 percent. Their
average win total went from 8.4 wins to 8.1 wins and they fell from
sixth to seventh in the SportsLine NFC playoff projections. That's
massive -- it's the difference between making and missing the playoffs
Making a big splash and trading for Bell would have an even
bigger impact the other way, "about as big an impact a running back can
have." According to the SportsLine projections, adding Bell would take
the Eagles from 8.1 wins to 9.2 wins and take their chances of winning
the division from 29 percent to 50.5 percent. Their playoff odds would
spike from 41.5 percent all the way up to 67 percent.
The Eagles would go from a 2.6 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl to a 5.0 percent chance to take down the title again.
The Eagles have had a run of bad luck to start the 2018 NFL season, going 2-3 to start the year and now losing their starting running back, with Jay Ajayi hitting injured reserve thanks to a torn ACL suffered against the Vikings on Sunday.
It leaves Philly in a precarious position -- it's in the middle of a crowded, sloppy NFC East with only Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement available at the running back position. So why not avoiding going home by going big? The Eagles have a potential replacement out there in the form of Le'Veon Bell.
The Steelers' running back is in the middle of a holdout but the team has made it clear they would like to trade him.
Part of the problem is they need a team that's in need of a shot in the
arm offensively and is willing to sacrifice a pick (probably a
third-round selection at this point) in order to try and make a playoff
push. The Eagles are one of the few teams that fit the bill: they could
find a way to sign Bell if they want, or just give up a third to chase
another title.
In
the interest of curiosity, SportsLine's Stephen Oh -- who appears once a
week on the Pick Six Podcast breaking down the stats you need to know
for fantasy and gambling, subscribe right here -- ran projections to see how much the loss of Ajayi hurts the Eagles and how much the addition of Bell would help Philly.
And
the results were kind of shocking. With the loss of Ajayi, the Eagles'
odds of winning the NFC East fell from 34.3 percent to 29 percent. Their
average win total went from 8.4 wins to 8.1 wins and they fell from
sixth to seventh in the SportsLine NFC playoff projections. That's
massive -- it's the difference between making and missing the playoffs
bigger impact the other way, "about as big an impact a running back can
have." According to the SportsLine projections, adding Bell would take
the Eagles from 8.1 wins to 9.2 wins and take their chances of winning
the division from 29 percent to 50.5 percent. Their playoff odds would
spike from 41.5 percent all the way up to 67 percent.
The Eagles would go from a 2.6 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl to a 5.0 percent chance to take down the title again.
![[Image: gettyimages-1034344426-e1537194124594.jp...316&crop=1]](https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/gettyimages-1034344426-e1537194124594.jpg?w=560&h=316&crop=1)
