May 08, 2020
Is it a semi-pointless exercise to predict each regular season game's outcome as early as May, a day after the schedule was released? Yes, yes it is. Because I'm a hack sellout, let's just go ahead and do it anyway.
Brandon Gowton and I gave our game-by-game predictions in podcast form, and I wrote up my predictions as well, below.
• Week 1, Eagles at the Washington team: As we noted in our schedule advantages/disadvantages, opening up against Washington is ideal. The Eagles have beaten the Washington team six straight times, with an average margin of victory of 12.8 points during that span.
Additionally, Washington has a new coaching staff, and it should be difficult for them to get where they need to be by Week 1, with what is going to be a drastically shortened offseason. There's perhaps an argument to be made that a new head coach will be difficult to prepare for, but Doug Pederson has prepared for Ron Rivera-led teams in 2017 and 2018. There shouldn't be any major surprises.
Win.
• Week 2, Rams at Eagles: After a short run atop the NFC West, this Rams team appears to be on its way down. Their offensive line is a mess, and Todd Gurley's rapid regression led to his release. Plus, the Rams have the disadvantage of having to fly to the east coast to play a Sunday 1:00 game.
Win.
• Week 3, Bengals at Eagles: Joe Burrow may eventually become a good NFL quarterback, but that's going to take some time, and he won't have much help with this trash Bengals roster. If there's one game on this schedule that I'd call a lock, it's this one. Of course, I probably felt the same way about Detroit and Miami this time last year. Still, the Eagles are in a good position to start 3-0.
Win.
• Week 4, Eagles at 49ers: The Niners' biggest strength, their rushing attack, aligns nicely with the Eagles' tried and true ability to stop the run. However, San Francisco's smothering defense could be the difference, and I would worry about the LT spot against Nick Bosa.
Loss.
• Week 5, Eagles at Steelers: After flying home from the west coast, the Eagles will have the difficult task of getting ready for another road game the following week, this time with a shorter trip across the state to Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger is in clearly in decline, and may be cooked, but this Steelers defense was still good enough to win 8 games last season with awful backup quarterback play. The Eagles drop one in a tough place to play.
Loss.
• Week 6, Ravens at Eagles: Again, like with the 49ers above, the Ravens' biggest strength is their rushing attack, which plays into the Eagles' hands to some degree. However, the Ravens were the best team in the NFL for most of the 2019 season, and are simply a better football team.
After three straight losses, morons will be calling for Jalen Hurts.
Loss.
• Week 7, Giants at Eagles: Ah, as always, when they're going through a rough patch, the Eagles can always rely on a matchup with the Giants to turn things around.
Here the Giants once again help the Eagles get out of their funk.
Win.
• Week 8, Cowboys at Eagles: It wouldn't be an NFL offseason without some delusional Cowboys hype, and their selection of CeeDee Lamb in the 2020 NFL Draft is going to have people picking them to win the Super Bowl, again. While the Cowboys were certainly fortunate to have Lamb fall into their laps, they also lost their best defensive back (Byron Jones), perennial Pro Bowl center (Travis Frederick), their most productive pass rusher in 2019 (Robert Quinn), one of the league's best slot receivers last season (Randall Cobb), and a good, young, starting defensive tackle (Maliek Collins).
Win.
• Week 9: BYE
• Week 10, Eagles at Giants: For the first time in this rivalry's history, the Eagles took the all-time series lead over the Giants, which now stands at an 88–86–2 advantage for Philly. The Eagles have a chance to extend that by two more games in 2020.
Win.
• Week 11, Eagles at Browns: The Browns have accumulated some talent, but they are sort of like the Washington of the AFC, in that their ownership doesn't know what it's doing, and the team's culture is non-existent. The Browns conducted their fifth head coaching search this offseason since Jimmy Haslem bought the team in 2012.
Win.
• Week 12, Seahawks at Eagles: Russell Wilson owns the Eagles' soul. I just can't pick them to beat the Seahawks, until, you know, they beat the Seahawks.
Loss.
• Week 13, Eagles at Packers: Aaron Rodgers is 8-2 at home after the start of December over the last five years, with the two losses coming at the end of the 2018 season, when the Packers fired head coach Mike McCarthy. On a personal note, if the COVID-19 outbreak results in media being unable to cover games in person, I won't miss this trip.
Loss.
• Week 14, Saints at Eagles: Above I wrote that I couldn't pick the Eagles to beat the Seahawks until I see the Eagles beat the Seahawks. That same premise could apply here to the Saints, but this game will be the third of three straight road games for New Orleans, a huge disadvantage. Couple that with crappy December weather, and this will be the Eagles' best chance of beating Drew Brees.
Win.
• Week 15, Eagles at Cardinals: The Cardinals are a team to watch this season that could make a jump. I don't think they're quite there yet, and only the Washington team had fewer wins at home last season than Arizona.
Win.
• Week 16, Eagles at Cowboys: Cop-out alert. The Eagles will split with the Cowboys.
Loss.
• Week 17, The Washington team at Eagles: With likely nothing to play for and looking to board planes for the Caribbean, the Washington team rolls over in a must-win game for the Eagles to clinch the NFC East at 10-6, earning the 4 seed.
Win.
PLAYOFFS
• Wildcard round, (5) Buccaneers at (4) Eagles: The Bucs are better with an aging, ball-control, game management version of Tom Brady than they were with turnover machine Jameis Winston, but they still aren't anything special, and Wentz gets his first playoff win in decisive fashion.
Win.
• Divisional round, (4) Eagles at (1) Saints: Away from the cold, and with the advantage of a week of rest, the Saints get revenge for their Week 14 loss in Philly. A Malcolm Jenkins sack-fumble of Wentz seals the Birds' season.
Loss.
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