Patriots-Eagles Week 1 news, notes, and fun facts
FOXBORO -- It's that time of the year again where our Sundays (plus a Thursday and a Monday night) will belong to the New England Patriots. The Pats kick off their 2023 season against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and this particular Sunday will be pretty special.
Week 1 is always pretty special, as just about any team can beat anyone the first week of the season. Hope springs eternal for most franchises as a new season kicks off. (Unless it's the Cardinals. They're going to be real bad.)
But this weekend has an added level of special for the Patriots. Not only are they hosting the defending NFC champs, testing their mettle against one of the best teams in the league. The franchise is also throwing a halftime party to honor the best player to ever sling a pigskin: Tom Brady.
So you can understand why a lot of fans will be a lot more amped up for that halftime ceremony than for the game itself. While the Patriots may be able to keep it close and potentially even eke out an upset over Philly, it could just as easily go the other way, which would really put a damper on those halftime festivities.
But again, it's Week 1, and we're going to stay positive. Here's all the news, the notes, and the fun facts that you need to know heading into Sunday's Patriots-Eagles tilt at Gillette:
Patriots On Opening Day
-The Patriots are 35-28 all-time on opening day, and have won six of their last 10 games on kickoff weekend.
-New England's 35 wins in Week 1 are the fifth-most in NFL history behind Pittsburgh (46), Denver (40), the San Diego/Los Angels Chargers (36), and Kansas City (36).
-Bill Belichick is 16-7 in his openers with the Patriots.
-This year will mark the sixth time that the Patriots open the season against an NFC opponent. New England is 2-3 in their previous five openers against an NFC foe.
Patriots vs. Eagles
-This weekend will be the 14th regular-season meeting between the Patriots and the Eagles, with Philadelphia holding a 7-6 edge in the series.
-The Patriots are 3-2 against the Eagles in Foxboro, including 1-1 against them at Gillette Stadium.
-The two teams have met in the Super Bowl twice, with the Patriots victorious in Super Bowl XXXIX while the Eagles won Super Bowl LII.
-The Eagles ranked third in the NFL in total offense (389.1 yards per game) and second in total defense (301.5 yards per game allowed) last season. The Philly defense led the NFL with 70 sacks in 2022.
Connections
-The Patriots have two former Eagles on their roster: defensive back Jalen Mills (in Philly from 2016-20) and practice squad receiver Jalen Reagor (2020-21).
-There is only one former Patriot on the Eagles: Sr. defensive assistant Matt Patricia, who was with the Patriots from 2004-17 and 2021-22. Patricia was New England's defensive coordinator from 2012-17, and then returned as a senior football advisor (and as an unnamed offensive coordinator last season) for two seasons before leaving for Philly.
Other Stuff You Need To Know
-Bill Belichick is heading into his 24th season as HC of the NEP. He is one of just seven NFL head coaches to coach one team for 20 straight years, and is now in fifth place on that list behind George Halas (40 years with Chicago), Curley Lambeau (29 years with Green Bay), Tom Landry (29 years with Dallas) and Don Shula (26 years with Miami).
-This year also marks Belichick's 49th consecutive year in the NFL. Only two other coaches in NFL history have 40 or more consecutive years of coaching: Dick LeBeau (45 seasons) and Tom Moore (41 seasons).
-The Patriots have 35 winning seasons, which is second all-time behind the Steelers and their 39 winning seasons.
-Since 2001, the Patriots are 48-23 in games decided by three points or fewer (regular and postseason), which is the best record in the NFL over that span.
-The Patriots are 63-23 against the NFC since the NFL realigned in 2002, which is the best inter-conference record in the NFL over that timeframe.
-The Patriots and the Eagles have both blocked 21 kicks since 2014, leading the NFL.
-The Eagles are 2-0 on opening weekend under head coach Nick Sirianni. They beat the Detroit Lions, 38-35, last season and trounced the Atlanta Falcons 32-6 in Sirianni's debut in 2021.
-Mac Jones is just 3-5 against NFC opponents. He is 0-2 on opening weekend.
-With rookies at kicker (Chad Ryland) and punter (Bryce Baringer), the Patriots will be the first team to start a rookie kicker and punter drafted in the same year since the 2000 Oakland Raiders.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Eagles game on WBZ-TV -- your television home of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins Wednesday night with Patriots 1st Down at 9:30 p.m. on TV38 and continues 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.
