Throughout recent history, the Philadelphia Eagles have been recurring visitors of the NFL playoff scene. Making the playoffs four out of the last five seasons, the Eagles are no new visitors to the postseason. With new additions just about everywhere on the team this year, the Eagles will look to repeat history and win it all.
Off-Season Moves
The first and most important part of the Eagles season this year is the new acquisitions General Manager Howie Roseman managed to acquire this past offseason. On April 28, 2022, the Eagles gained the wide receiver, A.J. Brown, in a blockbuster trade that may have changed the foreseeable future for the Eagles. Brown had 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games last season. He surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his first two seasons, including a 70 yard catch and a 1,075-yard campaign in 2020 when he hauled in a career-best 11 TDs. With his unique abilities, such as getting past every defender or catching any ball that comes his way, Brown will heavily impact this team, and he may be the sole reason that the Birds go far this season.
Alongside Brown, Roseman managed to acquire Hassan Reddick, a star outside linebacker who was top 5 in sacks in the entire league last year. Additionally he added Nakobe Dean, an electric first round linebacker off of the national championship team, the Georgia Bulldogs. It doesn’t end there– Roseman secured more players such as Kyzir White, Jordan Davis, and other talent that will boost this team to be contenders. With all of the new acquisitions that Howie Roseman has made this season, Eagles fans are sitting on the edge of their seats in excitement to see how successful this team can be for this season.
Expectations
In the last couple of years, the NFC East division has been open, and this season is the same. Ever since the Eagles won the division in the years 2001 to 2004, there has not been a repeat champion.
Currently, via Draftkings Sportsbook, the Eagles are second most likely to win the division, slightly behind Dallas. The Eagles are +160 odds to win it, while Dallas is just +150. Washington is +500, and last is New York at +800. While the Eagles should be in the mix this season, Dallas has proven themselves to be contenders, as well as the Commanders. Although New York is last, anything could happen in this division.
Last year, Philadelphia finished second in the division, three games behind Dallas, who finished first. However, the Eagles roster has gotten considerably better since the end of last season, and the race to win the NFC East could be a tight one.
Being Jalen Hurts's third year in the NFL, he has a lot to prove to the city of Philadelphia and the NFL fans worldwide. In his first year, he was the backup to Carson Wentz, who played poorly and got traded away from the team that offseason. Last year, Hurts was the starter and he threw for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Although Hurts' stats last year are just average, if you watch the games, you can see that he has proved himself worthy of the title, Quarterback 1. Jalen is incredibly talented and can pretty much escape any play some Quarterbacks would consider dead and scramble out of the pocket for some extra yards.
As Bleacher Report writer Ian Wharton wrote, "Philadelphia could even be in store for a special season if quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to improve in his third year in the NFL". This year, Jalen has the most pressure on him being on a new team. Our fans are expecting a big season from him, and he will need to deliver that. Jalen must play above his expectations in order for this team to be a success. With his new receiving core and lineman up front protecting him, Hurts will need to make more accurate passes and smarter plays if he wants to keep this team above the water.
According to Head Coach Nick Sirianni and reporters attending training camp, Jalen Hurts has improved considerably over the offseason and looks sharp heading into this season. The over/under for Eagles wins this season is currently sitting at 9.5, and with the Eagles winning nine games last season, the over is looking like the strong bet this year. With pressure on the Eagles, and most importantly, Jalen Hurts, the team has to prove the haters wrong and become legitimate contenders to win it all.
Predictions
The Eagles have the second easiest schedule out of all 32 teams this season, and have the opportunity to win the majority of their games. However, if the Birds are going to win the NFC East, they are going to have to win their divisional games.
Last year, the team was 3-3 in divisional games, with two of those losses being handed to us by Dallas. Along with divisional matchups, the Eagles have a ton of winnable games scheduled, such as Jacksonville, Detroit, Houston, and Chicago, who all recorded losing seasons the last two in a row. If the Birds can win those games with ease, they will easily be able to stay afloat in the division and most likely even win it.
Although Dallas will keep it close in the race, I predict that Philadelphia will pull it off and win the division. I believe that Philadelphia is unlikely to go 0-2 against Dallas again this year, considering the improvements this Eagles team has made. Now that our passing attack can balance out with our running game, and our defense can apply more pressure on the quarterback, I believe the Eagles will get into the double-digits in the win column, win the NFC East, and just maybe even get their first playoff victory in four years. My prediction for the Eagles record this year is 11-6. GO BIRDS!