New York Knicks star's epic Eagles prediction falls far short of expectations

New York Knicks fans are naturally hoping that Jalen Brunson's vision on the field surpasses that of his counterpart on the football field.

Brunson returned to his college campus on Monday night wearing the colors of his sworn enemy from the metropolis and made a guest appearance on ESPN's pre-coverage of the “Monday Night Football” game between the Atlanta Falcons and his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.

Just a stone's throw from the Wells Fargo Center, where the former Villanova player has both charmed and tormented Philadelphia fans, Brunson walked into Lincoln Financial Field to give his prediction for Monday's game. Spurred on by former Eagles center and current ESPN analyst Jason Kelce, Brunson naturally predicted a Philadelphia win, but he was quite ambitious.

“Birds by 50!” Kelce shouted, leaving Brunson, who was wearing a jersey with the name and number of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, almost speechless. “I agree!” he said, hoping that Philadelphia will remain one of the NFL's undefeated teams two weeks into the season.

Unfortunately, Philadelphia failed to fulfill Brunson and Kelce's shared prophecy: The Eagles lost on the last of seven lead changes and Atlanta finished Week 2 with a narrow 22-21 victory. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​​​found the game-winning score through Drake London with 34 seconds left before Jessie Bates' interception of Hurts sealed the win.

The Eagles' loss in their first home game of 2024 is the latest heartbreaking defeat at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex: While the National League-leading Phillies advance to the MLB postseason, the 76ers were eliminated by Brunson and the Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs last spring. Brunson scored 41 points in the final victory at the Wells Fargo Center, which also serves as the temporary home of the Villanova men's basketball team.

Brunson's love for the Eagles is likely seen as more than forgivable by the broad middle of the Venn diagram of Knicks-New York Giants fans, thanks to his contributions on the court and the appalling state of Big Blue, which dropped a 21-18 decision to Josh Hart's beloved Washington Commanders on Sunday. With that loss, the Giants are the only winless team in the NFC East quartet, which also includes the Dallas Cowboys.

Philadelphia (1-1) may wish they could have Brunson's confidence and offensive prowess on the field next week: The Eagles are back on the road for Week 3, as they face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, Fox). New Orleans (2-0) has scored 91 points in its first two games, including 44 in a blowout win over the Cowboys on Sunday.

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