Bold Predictions for Eagles' Week 1 Matchup vs. Mac Jones, Patriots
The Philadelphia Eagles begin their path back to the Super Bowl with one of the easier matchups on their 2023 schedule.
Rarely have the New England Patriots been called an easy foe during the Bill Belichick era, but that is the case right now with Mac Jones at the helm.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have the opportunity to put up one of the biggest victories of Week 1.
Nick Sirianni's team can answer one of its biggest questions in the process of earning the victory.
The Eagles have four running backs to choose from, and one of them needs to take the lead at the position at some point in the season, so why not set the depth chart in Week 1.
Defensively, the Eagles have some questions at safety, but those may not be answered on Sunday against an average passing offense.
The top defensive takeaway from Sunday could be how dominant the pass rush looks, including first-round pick Jalen Carter.
D'Andre Swift Becomes Lead Running Back
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D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott could all earn carries on Sunday.
Swift and Penny carry the most experience in the No. 1 running back role from their previous teams.
Gainwell and Scott should slide into supporting roles on third down, red-zone plays, or in pass-catching situations.
Swift should receive the bulk of the rushing production against the Patriots.
After all, this is a player who has 354 carries across three seasons in Detroit and has 25 total touchdowns in his career.
Swift may have more opportunities to run on Sunday because the Eagles have the potential to be up multiple scores by the time the second quarter starts.
The Eagles will not exhaust Swift in Week 1, but he should receive more carries and snaps than Penny, Gainwell and Scott as the team looks to establish their running back hierarchy.
Jalen Carter, Pass Rush Thrive Against Mac Jones
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Philadelphia's first-round pick could be in line for a tremendous debut.
Jones has been sacked 62 times in his two-year New England career. He was taken down on 34 occasions in 2022.
Carter, Fletcher Cox and others can get a great push on the interior to get to Jones and produce a multi-sack day for the reigning NFC East champion.
Carter will have more attention on him than the other pass-rushers because of the intrigue that comes with his transition from Georgia to the Eagles.
At one point, Carter was viewed as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft class, but he fell to the Eagles at No. 9.
Sunday's matchup should allow Carter to thrive and to show why he could turn out to be the best prospect in the draft class.
Safeties Ease Preseason Concerns
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Safety is arguably the weakest spot on the Eagles roster.
Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds are the presumed starters, but rookie Sydney Brown could force his way into the defensive rotation.
The full collection of safeties should use Week 1 as a chance to ease any concerns about the position before tougher matchups come up on the Eagles schedule.
The pass rush should make life difficult on Jones, and that could set the safeties up for some interception opportunities across the middle.
Blankenship and Co. could also thrive in their tests against tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.
Henry and Gesicki should be Jones' safety valves across the middle, and in the red zone, and if the Eagles cover them well, the presumed weakness on the roster could be washed away.
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