Eagles Schedule Predictions: Weeks 1-4

The start of training camp marks a good time to look ahead at the Eagles schedule. With the Eagles being Super Bowl Champions, they will be the hunted in the NFL. The road to glory will only be harder this year. But if they do find a way to repeat, they will be the first repeat champions since the New England Patriots back in the early 2000’s.

There were some changes to the roster but nothing too drastic. Some people are saying the Eagles even improved. That is just scary for the NFL. But there is some uncertainty ahead as there is no known evidence to whether or not Wentz is going to be ready or come back strong. He is coming off a torn ACL and LCL, which he sustained while playing the Los Angeles Rams last year. Nick Foles is coming off a historic postseason capped by a Super Bowl MVP. That success though will be hard to carry over as it was an MVP-caliber performance.

Week One: Home vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Eagles and Falcons will open off the 2018 NFL season on September 6th. The Eagles will be revealing their 2017 Super Bowl champions banner, the first in franchise history.

This game, along with the next few games, is a bit hard to predict. That is due to the unknown factor of Wentz’s health. It has been reported that he is progressing nicely and won’t be on the physically unable to perform list in training camp. But is it worth having Wentz out there not 110%? With Nick Foles showing his potential to be a good quarterback last postseason, there is no reason to play a not fully recovered Wentz with Nick Foles as the backup. With all that being said, I think Foles will start the Eagles first game against the Falcons.

This game is going to be another nailbiter like the playoff game these two teams played last year. It will be all about who can shake off the rust faster, as it always is for the first game. Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan, has struggled while playing in his hometown of Philadelphia. Ryan has only won one of his five attempts in Philly. And on the flip side, the Eagles have been great at home the past few years.

I think the Eagles will start out the season with a win. The Eagles tend to have the Falcons number and the crowd will be as loud as ever. I expect Nick Foles to do just enough to lead the Eagles to a victory. Turnover free football will be a win for Nick Foles. The defense will be the key component to this win as they come back hungry and wanting more.

Eagles Win 23-17 (Record: 1-0)

Week Two: At Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the Eagles coming off a nice victory against a playoff team, I see them sitting Carson Wentz for yet another game. The Buccaneers are easily an inferior team compared to the Eagles and they will be starting Ryan Fitzpatrick. That is because Jameis Winston will be serving a three-game suspension.

This Bucs team has improved its defense as the bolstered their depth up front. They are trying to copy the Eagles in the sense of having a great defensive line with depth. They acquired the likes of Vinny Curry, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Vita Vea. The Bucs also took away fan favorite Beau Allen away from Philly. They do have a glaring weakness though on their defense. That is their secondary.

The Bucs offense has a lot of young pieces who can make some splash plays. The problem is as mentioned before, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback. I think that will make a big difference in this game and the Eagles will win big. The Birds defense will throttle the Bucs offense and make a statement. So Foles will get the Eagles two wins in two games with a nice performance. All is looking good for the Birds.

Eagles Win 34-10 (Record: 2-0)

Week Three: Home vs. Indianapolis Colts

This is the week I expect Carson Wentz to come back fully healed. It will be a good test against a young, hungry defense that knows a lot about Wentz. That is because Frank Reich is the Colts new head coach and he was just with the Eagles as the offensive coordinator. Reich will also have a healthy Andrew Luck. This spells a trap game for the Eagles.

As it is a trap game, I do think there is someone that won’t let them lose. That is, of course, Carson Wentz. He will come back motivated as ever to lift his own Super Bowl trophy. I expect Wentz to destroy the Colts defense even know they think they know how to stop him. With Wentz having a good game though, I also expect Luck to match it with a good game. This game will end up being closer than it was thought to be as I think it will be a shootout. But the Eagles end up the victors in this one as the Eagles defense gets one more stop than the Colts.

Eagles Win 37-35 (Record: 3-0)

Week Four: At Tennessee Titans

The Titans low-key had a nice offseason. They added former Patriots Dion Lewis and Malcolm Butler. Dion Lewis will add a lightning and thunder combination with Derrick Henry who is expected to take a big step forward. The Titans will ride those two behind their great line which will then create passing lanes for Marcus Mariota. Mariota is coming off an injury-plagued down year in which the Titans still made the playoffs. A healthy Mariota, as showed in 2016, should scare the Eagles.

With the Titans good offense, they also have a decent defense. New head coach, Mike Vrabel, will look to get the best out of them so the Titans can make the playoffs in back-to-back years. The Eagles are going to be in for a tough one here.

I expect the Eagles to be in this game but the Titans will ultimately come out on top. The big x-factor in this game will be Dion Lewis. The Eagles struggled against scat backs like him last year and the loss of Mychal Kendricks won’t help that cause at all. I think Carson Wentz will take a little step back in this one and the running game has trouble getting going. Eagles end the first month with only one loss and look to rebound against the Minnesota Vikings at home next week.

Titans Win 24-20 (Record 3-1)