Bold Predictions for Eagles' Week 1 Matchup vs. D'Andre Swift, Lions

The Philadelphia Eagles usher in the second full season of Jalen Hurts as starting quarterback against the Detroit Lions with heightened expectations.

Philadelphia assembled a cast of stars around Hurts on offense and on defense so that the ball can be back in Hurts' hands as soon as possible in every game.

A.J. Brown should make the biggest impact of any of the new acquisitions and he could get off to a fast start in Detroit against a team that may struggle to even be in the playoff conversation.

Philadelphia wants to not only be in the playoff discussion but at the top of the NFC East by the time the regular season ends.

That is the expectation around the franchise and its demanding fan base. A victory to start the season is the minimum expectation and it would help the Eagles if they off get to a fantastic beginning in a season in which multiple playoff wins could be possible.

A.J. Brown Hits 100-Yard Mark In Eagles Debut

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 12: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown (11) warms up during pre-season game between the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles on August 12, 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The A.J. Brown era has the potential to get off to a flying start.

Brown is going up against a Detroit passing defense that gave up over 250 passing yards in nine games in 2021 and over 300 passing yards on four occasions.

The Lions have Jeff Okudah back on the field, but Sunday will be his first regular-season action since Week 1 of last season.

Philadelphia could try to target Okudah before he settles into a rhythm with Brown, who has built up a connection with Jalen Hurts throughout the preseason.

Brown has not had more than five receptions in a season-opening contest in his first three seasons. His Week 1 high in receptions came in 2020 for the Tennessee Titans against the Denver Broncos (5).

Brown could fly past that milestone and get into triple digits in receiving yards, which is something he was unable to do on a consistent basis last season. He had three 100-yard games for the Titans.

The expectation should be for Hurts to target Brown at a decent rate in the first half so that the two can work on their in-game chemistry and go after Okudah as he works back to regular-season fitness.

A 100-yard performance is possible, and if that happens, the hype around the Eagles offense could grow further than it has during the preseason because of the Hurts-to-Brown connection.

No Clarity on Running Back Situation

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 12: Miles Sanders #26 and Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles look on from the sidelines against the New York Jets in the second half of the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 12, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Jets defeated the Eagles 24-21. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Eagles could come away from Sunday without any clarity as to how their running back situation will look in 2022.

Miles Sanders recently returned to practice after missing a few weeks with a hamstring injury. He is listed as questionable as of Tuesday night.

Sanders' role in the offense could come under question early in the season if he fails to improve on the campaign in which he failed to score a single rushing touchdown.

Sanders recorded 754 rushing yards last season, but that was the lowest total of his three-year career. The lack of a touchdown and the scores out of Jordan Howard, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott hurt Sanders' stock.

Week 1 may not be an ideal chance for Sanders to prove his worth because the Eagles will likely try to integrate Brown into the passing game more and the starting running back may not be at 100 percent.

As Sanders works back to 100 percent, we should find out if he can improve on last season, or if the Eagles need to rely on another running back in his place, but nothing certain will come out of Week 1.

Defensive Line Pummels D'Andre Swift

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TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 16: Fletcher Cox #91 and Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles wait to take the field with their teammates prior to the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Eagles will put their new defensive line weapon on display for the first time on Sunday next to one of the established stars of the franchise.

The Fletcher Cox-Jordan Davis combination could be dangerous for any opposing running back and offensive line to face in 2022, but Detroit may be one of the teams that have the most trouble containing the pair of defensive tackles.

Detroit will be without starting guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who was placed on the injured reserve on Tuesday.

Vaitai's absence could allow Cox and Davis to feast on Detroit's interior and limit D'Andre Swift to fewer than 50 rushing yards.

Low rushing-yard totals are not new for Swift, who had just two games with more than 60 rushing yards in 2021. Both of those performances resulted in over 130 rushing yards.

The Eagles limited Swift to 27 rushing yards on 12 carries last season and his total could look even worse on paper if the visitors break through the line on multiple occasions with Vaitai out of the lineup.