The Philadelphia Eagles open up the 2023 season with a road clash against the New England Patriots in Week 1.
There is a notorious history between these two franchises, as they’ve faced each other two times in Super Bowl history — tied 1-1. It definitely provides both sides with more impetus to walk out of this one victorious, since these cross-conference rivals rarely see each other in the regular season.
Bearing all of this in mind, which side of the spread are we trusting?
Eagles vs. Patriots, Week 1: Pick against the spread
Vibes are quite good for the Eagles at the moment, as they rightfully should be. They were able to go out and make quality moves this offseason without much to operate with financially. They secured Jalen Hurts for the future, swapped running back Miles Sanders for D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny, scooped up two more first-round defensive assets in Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, and retained key veteran leaders like Jason Kelce, Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and others. They currently project as the top 1-2 teams in the NFL, and their game plan will most likely come down to maximizing both the run and the pass — thus wearing down Bill Belichick’s Patriots defense.
The Patriots are coming off an 8-9 campaign and finished 3rd in the AFC East. They struggled with their QB situation throughout last year, and it seems to have trickled into Week 1 of 2023, as well. Mac Jones will begin the season as the Patriots’ starter under center, but they could also switch to Bailey Zappe at a moment’s notice if Jones is unable to get the passing attack going. The offense also has Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott monopolizing the rushing reps, so they could try to play the slow-down game to try and keep the Eagles’ offense on the sidelines as much as possible. However, the Eagles’ defensive front should be able to impede New England’s runners pretty handily.
Trust the better team to cover in this one. There just isn’t a lot to like about the New England pass offense, and they won’t climb back from a point deficit by running the football.
The Pick: Eagles -4
