New England will be on the road in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles in the city of brotherly love. Injuries will be a big factor in this one, as both secondaries are banged up. As of now, many players on the Pats defense are questionable in terms of their availability for Sunday's game. These players include safety Pat Chung and cornerback Devin Mccourty. Defensive backs from the Eagles including Cromartie and Asomugha are also questionable to play. Quarterback Micheal Vick is doubtful with injured ribs. Considering these injuries to key players, health will play an important role in the outcome of this game.

The Eagles offense will have to put up some big numbers if they want to keep up with Tom Brady. They also need this win to stay alive in the playoff hunt. For the Patriots defense, it all boils down to execution. I'm sure the coaches will lead the players into the right direction, but will they be able to do what they have been doing over the last couple of weeks against the Jets and Chiefs? They must be able to collapse the pocket and make Vince Young uncomfortable. As a result of this, Young will probably make some bad decisions with the football. Hopefully, the Patriots can capitalize on that and cause turnovers and three and outs. One player the defense must neutralize is running back LeSean McCoy, who leads the league in most rushing categories. Look for Jerod Mayo to fill up the stat sheet with tackles, and I wouldn't be surprised if Arrington continues to impress. Controlling the line will be critical against Philadelphia's physical running game.

The special teams will need some attention in this game because both teams have an explosive and dangerous return team. The Eagles have Desean Jackson, while the Patriots have Julian Edelman. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots elect to kick to Jackson or not. They'll have to consider the weather conditions while they decide what to do. The same goes for the Eagles. Julian Edelman has definitely showed his talent on special teams, and recently, on defense too. He is the more complete player because of his tackling ability, but this doesn't mean that Jackson isn't a threat.

Look for the Patriots to have a pretty good day on offense against the Eagles defense. On paper, they look like the best defense in the league with 3 very good cornerbacks. But their defense as a whole has not lived up to its dream team potential. They have been pretty inconsistent all season, and have given up leads in the fourth quarter at home multiple times. In addition, two out of those three cornerbacks are questionable to play due to injuries. And if they do play, the Patriots will surely test those players who won't be 100 percent healthy. Look for Tom Brady to continue to spread the defense by passing to multiple receivers and backs. I think they will try to take away Gronkowski, since he has been so successful of late, so Deion Branch, Wes Welker, and Aaron Hernandez will most likely be facing man coverage for the most part of this game, which will increase their chances of success.

My prediction is that the Patriots will win by 3-10 points.