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Philadelphia Eagles: 9.5
Philadelphia just barely made it into the playoffs as a Wild Card team in 2008 with a 9-6-1 record and then proceeded on a run to the NFC Conference Championship. They proved their doubters wrong as they pulled off upset wins in Minnesota and New York against the Giants before just coming up short in Arizona in 32-25 loss for their chance at a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles' push towards the playoffs was a direct effect from how they ended off their regular season. A 4-1 record in their last five games put them on a roll which took them deep into the playoffs. The Eagles' difficulty of schedule will be quite comparable between this year and last. Last year, their opponents won 131 games, while this year they will face teams which won a combined 137 games last season.
The 2009 schedule doesn’t shape up to pose too many travel concerns or short weeks, however they will travel from a game in Oakland in Week 6 back across the country for a game in Washington the week after. This may pose a problem, because if there was one team Philly struggled with in 2008, it was the Redskins. While the Eagles split their games with their other divisional foes, they went 0-2 vs the 'Skins, including a real stinker in Week 16 with a 10-3 loss.
In my opinion, the Eagles will have to work on staying fresh throughout the year and hope for few major injuries. The injuries are already starting though, as RB Brian Westbrook looks like he will be shelved for the duration of the offseason as he’s having ankle surgery.
Keeping players like Westbrook in the lineup will be paramount to improving the Eagles 22nd ranking in rush yards from last year. The Eagles face a stretch of games from Week Seven to 14, where they play eight games against only one team that finished below .500 last year. That team is the Chicago Bears, and with Jay Cutler behind center now, they should definitely be improved. With an early bye in Week Four, this tough stretch of games could have a huge impact on how the Eagles season turns out.
Philadelphia made the effort this offseason to make some significant moves in hopes of taking that next step this year. They fortified an already strong offensive line by bringing in OTs Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews. The Eagles have one of the bulkiest O-lines in the game as they are looking at a potential starting five averaging 6’5" and 333 pounds.
Rookie WR Jeremy Maclin will look to provide McNabb with another quality target while RB LeSean McCoy could see extended minutes should Westbrook be forced to miss any time.
The Eagles second-ranked secondary will have some new faces joining the mix which may make it hard for them to duplicate their 2008 results.
To start with, the status of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson remains in question as he deals with a case of skin cancer. Gone will be Lito Sheppard, Sean Considine and Brian Dawkins, either through trade of free agency and current starting CB Sheldon Brown has been staying away from camp so far, as he’s unhappy with his contract. Insert CB Ellis Hobbs, and safeties Rashad Baker and Sean Jones to fill the voids.
The Eagles overall have made quite a few nice upgrades throughout their roster as they embark upon the 2009 year. They are fairly solid on all ends of the field and should see some similar success to 2008.
However Westbrook is the spoon that turns the pot in Philly and his current injury status already has to be at least slightly concerning when looking to bet the Eagles 2009 season. Their division should beat up on each other all year and with my projections of the Giants and Dallas to also have successful years, it will be hard for there to be three teams with nine-plus wins again this year coming from the NFC East.
I envision Philly getting off to a very strong start, however they will stumble through Weeks Seven to 14 as I touched on earlier, making them a team I would bet under the 9.5.
Washington Redskins: Eight
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