The Philadelphia Eagles looked impressive in their blowout victory over the New York Giants in Week 8. If you think I’m not taking any credit for the victory, you’re sadly mistaken. I pulled off the reverse jinx to perfection. Here’s how.

First and foremost, you have to believe your team can win. It’s impossible to pull off the reverse jinx in a situation that is unlikely. For example, the reverse jinx wouldn’t get the Washington Nationals in the playoffs. Nor would it give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a victory over the New Orleans Saints. If it can’t imaginably happen, the reverse jinx won’t work. (It’s science, people, not a miracle.) The Eagles were the underdog on Sunday but still had a legitimate shot to win for a number of reasons. First, they’re a good team with an explosive offense. Two, they have an aggressive defense that usually keeps any game within reach. Three, in an NFC East battle, anything can happen.

The second component of any successful reverse jinx is to make sure you list all the negatives about your team in defending your pick of the opponent. Here’s what I offered last Friday: “Unfortunately, everything is pointing against the Eagles this week. Here’s the list. The last time Philadelphia beat the Giants at home in the regular season was in 2004. Terrell Owens led the attack with three TDs. The offensive line stinks right now. Our quarterback throws like the Yankee bullpen (minus Rivera of course). We continually run the Wildcat as effectively as a tortoise. Combine all that with the likelihood of the Giants losing three in a row and Brian Westbrook’s injury status; yeah, my confidence is rattled.” Clear, concise, and perfectly executed. If you slack off and only touch on a few vague points, a la, “the offense is struggling,” then you’re doomed. The reverse jinx requires intelligence, rationale, and of course, depth.

The last part of the reverse jinx is arguably the most difficult part; the implementation. We’ve been unable to determine exactly how many reverse jinxes are available per season, so you can’t shoot first and aim later. It’s critical that you dissect every angle before putting it to use. Here’s why I chose week 8 to use the reverse jinx. The Eagles absolutely needed this win. Going into a Sunday night game with Dallas at 4-3 could have been disastrous. The possibility of reaching the midway point of the season at .500 would have had fans lining up to jump off the Walt Whitman. The timing was right. I also chose this week because of the underdog factor. The Eagles had played two poor games against two horribly poor opponents. Andy Reid’s teams have never been known for maintaining a high level of play all season. While they’ll struggle against bad teams, they almost always compete against quality opponents (i.e. the Patriots game in 2007 with A.J. Feeley as our starting QB). Being the underdog, at home, made this the ideal situation for the reverse jinx. And finally, the opponent. I’m not wasting my reverse jinx talents on an AFC opponent or some scrub team from the NFC West. No way. I’m using it against the division rivals. While they’re currently struggling, the Giants will right the ship and be in contention when December rolls around. Getting the win last week could prove advantageous if the season boils down to tie-breaking scenarios, which it most certainly will.

There you have it. Please understand this is a very brief version of my extensive reverse jinx science. I can’t share it all because not all of the components have been proven just yet. I will be sure to keep you up to date with potential alterations, additions, and subtractions. If you would like me to implement a reverse jinx for a team on your behalf, please send your request with a $100 check. Hey, winning is expensive. You should see how much the Eagles paid me for my efforts last week.