The Philadelphia Eagles will kick off their 2023 season at 4:25 p.m. today against the New England Patriots, their first obstacle in their quest to get back to the Super Bowl.
One of the Eagles' biggest priorities each summer is making sure that their best players are available for the games that actually matter. Heading into Week 1, the Eagles have no players on their injury report. They'll have all 22 of their starters available, while the Patriots have a number of injury concerns, most notably along their offensive line. You can find the full Eagles-Patriots injury report here.
As we noted in our five matchups to watch, it'll be strength on strength when the Eagles' elite offense has the ball against the Patriots' talented, disciplined defense. As always, the Eagles will have a matchup advantage with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith against the opposing secondary. Rookie Christian Gonzalez and a number of undersized corners will be tasked with trying to cover Brown and Smith. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles will try to take advantage of the aforementioned banged-up Patriots offensive line.
The Eagles are 3.5-point favorites heading into this matchup. Here are our staff writer picks as well as who some others around the country are picking. For the gambling enthusiasts, you can find my Week 1 picks here.
Feel free to discuss the game in the comments section below, while we keep the thread updated as the day goes on.
LIVE UPDATES...
• 8:18 p.m.: It wasn't pretty, but the Eagles are 1-0 and move on to the Vikings at home in a short week. Here's our immediate postgame coverage:
– Final observations: Eagles 25, Patriots 20 (Shamus Clancy)
– Eagles future headlines: Time to panic? Is the defense bad? (Evan Macy)
– Eagles game ball: Darius Slay lives up to 'Big Play' namesake (Shamus Clancy)
• 7:39 p.m.: Facing fourth down, Jones gets a pass to Kayshon Boutte for the first-down distance along the left sideline, but he couldn't get both feet in. Turnover on downs after review. The Eagles hold on to win 25-20.
• 7:37 p.m.: Jalen Carter gets his first sack with the Patriots pressing and it might've been a huge one.
• 7:32 p.m.: The Eagles take a massive risk on 4th and 2, but with the chance of a first down icing the game. They don't get it though. Hurts' pass over the middle intended for Smith is broken up, and the Patriots get the ballet their own 44 with a 1:43 left and down five.
• 7:22 p.m.: Fletcher Cox is down on the play but is able to get up and walk back to the sideline after the TV timeout.
• 7:20 p.m.: Hurts takes off and runs but takes a huge hit from Jabrill Peppers and loses the football. The Patriots recover at the Eagles' 41, and suddenly there's a big momentum shift late.
• 7:16 p.m.: The Patriots drive down and score quick on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Bourne, then try to go for two. The first attempt came back on a holding penalty, and the second saw the pass broken up over the middle. New England only gets six and is left down 25-20 with 3:37 left.
• 7:10 p.m.: The Eagles eat up some more clock, then Jake Elliott hits another field goal, this time from 51 yards out, to make it 25-14 with just over five minutes left. He's been huge for Philly today, going 4-for-4 on his attempts.
• 6:59 p.m.: Fletcher Cox comes up big on back-to-back late-down plays with the Patriots in the red zone. First he stops Ezekiel Elliott in his tracks on the run for no gain on 3rd and 3. Then, with New England going for it on fourth and short, bursts through the line and makes Mac Jones have to scramble, which allows Haason Reddick to land the QB hit for an incompletion. Turnover on downs. Eagles' ball.
• 6:50 p.m.: Dean has a foot injury and is questionable to return, the Eagles announce. Christian Elliss will relay the plays on defense for now.
• 6: 47 p.m.: The Eagles' offense chips off some yards and chews away some clock into the fourth quarter, but continues to hit a wall. Jake Elliott rings a 48-yarder off the goal post though to put them up 8. It's a 22-14 ballgame.
• 6:40 p.m.: Linebacker Nakobe Dean was spotted being taken back to the Eagles' locker room.
• 6:37 p.m.: A handful of penalties and broken down plays that took the Patriots backwards halted their momentum in its tracks, and after a punt, the Eagles take over at their own 20.
• 6:20 p.m.: The Eagles' offense remains stuck in the mud, but tried to salvage a long 56-yard field goal out of the latest drive. A timeout with a second left on the play clock saved the Eagles from a delay of game penalty that would've more than likely taken them out of range, and then Jake Elliott drilled the attempt to give them a 19-14 lead in the third quarter.
• 5:50 p.m.: The Patriots put together another scoring drive off the back of sloppy penalties and a stagnating Eagles offense. Mac Jones finds Kendrick Bourne in the end zone over the middle to cut it down to a 16-14 game with time winding down in the first half and with New England receiving to open the second.
Check out Shamus Clancy's first-half observations HERE.
• 5:34 p.m.: The Patriots finally put together a scoring drive, marching 71 yards downfield and capping it off with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones to tight end Hunter Henry. Eagles still up, 16-7, late in the first half.
• 5:33 p.m.: Reed Blankenship was shaken up on a play, but checked backed in a couple of plays later.
• 5:31 p.m.: Josh Jobe was up next with the big hit on a Patriots punt return. (They know to wave for the fair catch, right?)
• 5:17 p.m.: Sydney Brown. Hit stick.
• 4:52 p.m.: Jalen Hurts rolls out and gets a pass through a tight window to DeVonta Smith (without the gloves) for an Eagles touchdown along the right sideline of the end zone. Jake Elliott misses the PAT, but the Eagles still go up 16-0.
• 4:50 p.m.: The ball comes right back. Jordan Davis strips the ball away from Ezekiel Elliott and Zach Cunningham recovers. Eagles take over at the New England 26.
• 4:44 p.m.: And the first Eagles touchdown of the season comes courtesy of a Darius Slay pick-six. An errant throw from Mac Jones goes right off the hands of Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne and right into Slay's, who ran it right back. 10-0, Eagles with under five left in the first.
• 4:37 p.m.: With Kenny Gainwell featuring heavily on the first possession, and in the pouring rain, the Eagles drive down into the red zone, but get stopped there. They settle for the field goal to take a 3-0 lead halfway through the first quarter on a 14-play, 7:18-long drive.
• 4:26 p.m.: We're underway in Foxboro. Eagles receive to start Week 1 and the 2023 season.
• 4:00 p.m.: Once again, Bryce Harper 'gets it.'
Check out his batting gloves from today's series finale against the Marlins:
You can read more about them HERE.
• 3:10 p.m.: The Birds are in the building.
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