September 09, 2023
The Eagles will begin their fight back to the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon in Foxboro. With a matchup against Bill Belichick and the Patriots on the docket, here are five over/unders for the game to keep your eyes on.
To note: over/under numbers are my own creation unless otherwise noted...
New England QB Mac Jones was sacked 34 times in 14 games. The Eagles led the NFL with a whopping 70 sacks. The Patriots' offensive line is banged up and facing a dominant pass rush. This is a recipe for Jones finding himself on his ass multiple times in this game.
How much will the Eagles feast though?
I'm going to roll with four sacks. I'll say Jalen Carter, in his NFL debut, records his first career sack. I'll add one for Haason Reddick and one for Josh Sweat as well. To cap it off on a day where Tom Brady will be honored at Gillette Stadium, it's only fair that I chalk a sack up for Brandon Graham, too.
UNDER.
Belichick's defenses have struggled against running QBs over the years. While I expect Jalen Hurts' rushing attempts to be more confined to short-yardage and red-zone situations this year, the Eagles can move the ball against anyone in both the run and passing game. I'll say Hurts pounds his way to two TDs in goal-to-goal situations. Hurts does that better than anyone.
OVER.
In Thursday morning's press conference, Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay hinted at the obvious: The team will call up Arryn Siposs from the practice squad to be their punter on Sunday. Siposs has taken a beating from the media and the fan base over the last couple of years, notably due to his postseason woes.
Will that give Siposs the motivation to play the best football of his career or will he collapse under even greater scrutiny?
I'd probably take the over if this were a playoff game, but for a Week 1 affair, I'll give Siposs the benefit of the doubt and say it's a clean game from him.
UNDER.
line via DraftKings Sportsbook
Rhamondre Stevenson has real talent. He was absent from practice on Friday, but is still expected to suit up on Sunday, per the Boston Herald's Doug Kyed.
The Pats definitely have the advantage when it comes to the running back spot (though maybe not the run game overall given the disparity between the two offensive lines). Jones can't beat the Eagles throwing the ball. New England's best path to a victory is to feed Stevenson, control the clock so they can keep the Birds' offense off the field and attack the Eagles' inexperienced interior defensive line.
This is where Jordan Davis needs to shine. He didn't flash much as a rookie and fellow Georgia Bulldog Jalen Carter has been grabbing the spotlight this summer. Davis' swing skill to stardom will be his pass-rushing ability, but he needs to be called upon to stop the run game immediately. At the bare minimum, that's why the Eagles traded up for him in the 2022 NFL Draft.
I'll peg Stevenson for 87 yards on the ground. Maybe it's not an efficient 87 yards and New England's offense gets bogged down. I'm expecting Davis, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams and more to do just enough here to give the Eagles the win.
OVER.
C'mon. You can't talk about Brady and the Eagles in this game without mentioning Nick Foles himself. If the CBS broadcast somehow doesn't, feel free to call out the NFL for having an anti-Philly bias, which Eagles fans are hoping to do every chance they get anyway.
OVER.
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