On Pattison Picks: Will Eagles finally get right against lowly Las Vegas?

If there ever was a bounce-back game, it would be this one.

Then again, if there ever was a trap game, it would also be this one.

The 8-5 Philadelphia Eagles, reeling from their third straight ugly loss, will welcome the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders to Philadelphia Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. It'll be cold. It'll (potentially) be snowy. And yet Lincoln Financial Field will still burn down if the Eagles find a way to lose this one, a la the 2023 Arizona Cardinals game.

The Eagles are heavily favored to win this game; they currently sit as 11.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here's how our staffers think Sunday's game will go.

Anthony SanFilippo (5-8)

Score: Eagles 27 - Raiders 13

Game MVP: Mother Nature

Here's what is certain about this week. If the Eagles lose to the Raiders, just pack it in for the rest of the season. No one cares. It's over. Wake us up when it's officially over so we can sort through the rubble of the fallout.

Here's what is uncertain about this week. Even if the Eagles win and win comfortably, there is no guarantee that all is right in Birdland. The Raiders are that bad. Kenny Pickett is starting for them. That's all you need to know.

And even if the Eagles offense looks good – it's the freaking Raiders!

There's only one game left before the playoffs that should tell you anything positive about the Eagles – if they fare well in Buffalo in the penultimate game of the regular season. Until then, only information of the bad kind can be gleaned from what we are about to witness in three of the next four weeks. The Washington Commanders are a mess this season too, so two games against them aren't going to tell us anything good either. The Eagles should go 3-1, win the division, finish 11-6 and make the playoffs and no one should be comfortable with that. The only good thing that can come out of this week is the weather is going to be challenging. The Eagles are going to be forced by the elements to keep the ball on the ground more. That's a good thing. Maybe they find some tempo in that.

Maybe.

Otherwise, it's going to be a pretty miserable football holiday season in Philadelphia.

Grace Del Pizzo (6-7)

Score: Eagles 28 - Raiders 14

Game MVP: Saquon Barkley

My record is 6-7. Some grade school kid somewhere just felt a disturbance in the Force.

Anyway, the game conditions are going to be absolutely miserable. The Philly area is expected to get three to six inches of snow from Saturday into Sunday. Saturday evening's winter weather advisory is actually set to expire at 1 p.m. Sunday, which is precisely when the game kicks off! How convenient!

If the Eagles don't get right in this game, then I don't think they will. Like Anthony said, the elements will force the ball into Saquon Barkley's more-than-capable hands. We all know Barkley loves a snow game.

Dashing through the snow ❄️@Saquon | @Eagles pic.twitter.com/fnRYYMC4Jr

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 20, 2025

And the 2-11 Raiders are starting old friend Kenny Pickett at quarterback! We all know Pickett knows how to throw a pass-

Fun Fact: Kenny Pickett failed to throw a touchdown in roughly half of his career NFL starts. That's not a typo. He's had 25 starts and 12 games with no TDs, just interceptions. pic.twitter.com/GOOP4ALRCC

— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) July 21, 2025

...right.

Jalen Hurts won't have to throw the ball as much this game, which is good for the offense. Barkley better get ready to rumble. If Pickett beats Hurts, the city might explode.

Tim Kelly (7-6)

Score: Eagles 21 - Raiders 10

Game MVP: Jaelan Phillips

This is less about having a good feeling about the Eagles – I'd probably pick over 20 teams to beat them currently – and more of an indication of how disastrous the Raiders are.

I thought Pete Carroll and Geno Smith would bring a level of competency to the Raiders, even if it didn't translate to a ton of wins. Instead, the Raiders have been so bad at 2-11 that it feels like they could bail on Carroll – probably a future Hall of Famer – after just one season. They almost certainly will dump Smith, who leads the NFL in both interceptions (14) and sacks taken (49).

Smith is out with a lower back injury Sunday, with Kenny Pickett set to start for the Raiders. It was a cool story for Pickett – who was an Eagles fan growing up – to get a ring with the team last year. Nothing he's shown in parts of four seasons suggests he's a starting quarterback capable of thriving in the NFL, particularly with arguably the worst team in the sport.

I still think the Eagles are in big trouble, but they should be able to hold on and win the NFC East by virtue of a win over the Raiders.