Patriots-Eagles Week 1 predictions
FOXBORO -- With a new season comes new hope for 32 NFL teams. For some, that hope is winning a Super Bowl, while others just hope to make some progress from last season.
The New England Patriots fit into the latter category. There is a lot more optimism surrounding this team compared to a year ago, thanks in large part to Bill O'Brien's presence. The new offensive coordinator should work wonders for Mac Jones, who is heading into a pretty big year himself, and in turn lead to a much better showing from the New England offense. Mix that in with a strong-to-very-strong Patriots' defense, and maybe New England can make the 2023 season interesting.
But then you see that they have the NFL's hardest schedule, which begins with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. Having to play a team with a dynamic young QB and one of the NFL's best defenses is a tall task for a team looking to re-establish itself.
Maybe the Pats can take advantage of a team dealing with a Super Bowl hangover. But of the last eight Super Bowl losers, four of them have won in Week 1 the following year. So maybe there is a hangover elixir in the NFL circles.
There are a lot of folks out there who believe the Patriots can pull off an upset on Sunday, and having the GOAT himself, Tom Brady, in the house will have Gillette Stadium fill with all sorts of goodness. Anything can happen in Week 1 of the NFL season, so why not a 1-0 start for the Patriots?
Heading into Sunday's game, the WBZ sports team is split on whether or not the Patriots will start the new season with a victory.
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV
I know the Patriots are four-point underdogs and the Eagles are coming off a trip to the Super Bowl.
But Sunday is Tom Brady Day, and the best way to honor him is to win the game.
Patriots 24, Eagles 17
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV
If you look at this Pats-Eagles game on paper, this is a tough opener for New England. One of the biggest strengths of the Eagles is quarterback Jalen Hurts -- both with his feet and his arm. The Patriots' defense struggled against running QBs last season, going 0-for-5 against Tua, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, and Josh Allen (twice).
On the flip side, Bill Belichick said this week that Philly has the best pass rush in the NFL -- by far! New England's biggest question mark coming in is the health of its offensive line. Cole Strange, Mike Onwenu, and Calvin Anderson are not 100 percent coming into this one.
I think the Patriots are a much better "team" coming into this season than they were last year. That goes for the offense, the defense, and the special teams unit. I think that bodes well for the season.
A win on Sunday would go a long way in this team having a sneaky good season.
Patriots 24, Eagles 21
Michael Hurley, WBZ.com Sports
I don't love the spot for the Patriots. A soft opener -- against Indianapolis or Washington, say -- would have been a nice way to ease into the season. Instead, they're going up against what could be the best team in the NFL. That's tough.
One thing that might have been downplayed all offseason, though, was the Eagles losing both of their coordinators in Shane Steichen (Indy) and Jonathan Gannon (Arizona). We've seen here in New England that maintaining consistency after losing a coordinator can be tough, let alone both coordinators.
But, well, the Eagles hired Matt Patricia to help on defense, not offense, so they'll probably be fine.
I expect a fun game but for the Eagles to have a little bit more in the playmaking department to come out on top.
Eagles 27, Patriots 20
Matthew Geagan, WBZ.com Sports
Could the Patriots feed off all that Tom Brady energy in the building and pull off an upset Sunday? Maybe. Will they? Probably not.
Mac Jones will be better this season, the offense will function like an actual offense, and the defense is going to be nasty. But in Week 1, with an offensive line held together with a piece of string and a soggy old band-aid against the Eagles and their terrifying pass rush, the Pats better hope that everyone escapes unscathed.
Eagles 34, Patriots 17
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Eagles game on WBZ-TV -- your television home of the New England Patriots. Weekend coverage begins Friday night with Patriots All Access at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV. We kick things off Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m., Pats-Eagles is set for 4:25 p.m., and get full reaction and analysis after the game on Patriots 5th Quarter on TV38.