35 Predictions for the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles Season

Tomorrow. After eight months without football—Philadelphia Eagles football—the season finally begins against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. It's a game the Eagles should win by double-digits, which should set the tone for a run at a second straight division title. 

The glass-half-full side says that the Eagles will only continue to improve under Chip Kelly. The Eagles started 3-5 last season but won seven of their final eight games, including the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, to capture their first NFC East title since 2010.

Nick Foles threw 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions, finishing with the third-highest single-season passer rating in NFL history. LeSean McCoy led the league with 1,607 rushing yards, while DeSean Jackson set a career-high with 82 catches and 1,332 receiving yards. On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles surrendered 21 or fewer points in nine straight games.

But the glass-half-empty side says the Eagles are bound for a regression this season. They benefited from an easy schedule and injuries to key players such as Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Andre Ellington and Clay Matthews.

They also defeated just one playoff team during the regular season, and that was the Rodgers-less Packers. Against playoff teams like the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, the Eagles were outscored by a combined 85-50. And they lost at home their lone playoff game, their fourth straight postseason loss. 

With the start of the 2014 season just hours away, here's a list of 35 bold predictions for this year's Philadelphia Eagles team.

1. Nick Foles throws two interceptions before his first touchdown pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars, equaling in just 11 pass attempts his total of picks from the entire 2013 season.

2. No worries. Defenses don't figure Foles out. He finishes the season with the following statistics: 293 of 442 (66.3 percent) for 3611 yards, 29 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. That'll be good for a 104.8 passer rating, fourth-best in the National Football League. He'll also add 172 yards and two touchdowns on 49 runs.

3. Foles becomes the 11th Eagles quarterback in the past 12 seasons to not start all 16 games. A concussion after a hard sack causes him to miss games against the Houston Texans in Week 9 and the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.

4. Mark Sanchez turns in a clunker against the Houston Texans, leading the Eagles to just 17 points and absorbing six sacks. But he bounces back to take down the Carolina Panthers, throwing for 231 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover.

5. LeSean McCoy becomes the Eagles' all-time leading rusher in a loss to Green Bay in Week 11. McCoy needs 1,065 yards to pass Wilbert Montgomery for first in franchise history. 

6. McCoy finishes the season with 289 carries for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns. He also catches 47 balls for 414 yards and four scores. While that may be a slightly disappointing season based on the high standards the defending rushing champion has set for himself, it's hard to be disappointed with a player who collects 1,843 total yards and 13 touchdowns. 

7. Jeremy Maclin plays in 14 games, catching 61 passes for 803 yards and eight touchdowns. It's a disappointment for anyone expecting the former first-round pick to turn in a breakout season but it's enough for the Eagles to ink him to a three-year deal (low in guaranteed money) during the offseason.

8. Riley Cooper predictably struggles without DeSean Jackson drawing double-coverage, finishing the season with 37 catches for 481 yards and four scores. That ranks him seventh on the team in receptions, behind Matthews, Ertz, Maclin, Sproles, McCoy and Celek.

9. But rookie Jordan Matthews emerges as a future star in the slot receiver role, pulling in 71 balls for 802 yards and seven scores. This includes a 12-catch performance against the St. Louis Rams in Week 5. 

10. Against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, Zach Ertz and Brent Celek combine for 13 catches, 169 yards and three touchdowns. Ertz collects 113 yards and Celek scores twice. 

11. Ertz finishes the season with 67 catches for 804 yards and eight touchdowns. 

12. The Eagles' biggest breakout player on the offensive side of the ball is Matt Tobin, who starts four games in midseason when Todd Herremans suffers a high ankle sprain. Tobin plays so well that the Eagles prepare for the former undrafted free agent to be their starting right guard in 2015.

13. Former college quarterback Lane Johnson throws a touchdown pass to Nick Foles in a Week 12 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. 

14. Fletcher Cox takes the next forward that's expected, collecting six sacks and four forced fumbles en route to a contract extension after the season. The Eagles also use him in package plays as a goal-line fullback, and he responds with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the season's final month. 

15. Former undrafted free agent Cedric Thornton unofficially cedes his starting role to Vinny Curry midway through the season. Thornton is still an effective run-stopper, but his lack of anything resembling a pass-rush causes the Eagles to play the former second-round pick more frequently. Curry responds with nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He enters 2015 as a starter opposite Fletcher Cox, where he'll look to earn a contract extension following his fourth year in the league. 

16. It's the breakout year everybody is hoping for with Mychal Kendricks, as the third-year linebacker builds on his success late in the 2013 season. Kendricks finishes the season with 98 tackles, seven passes defensed, three sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown. 

17. Rookie first-round pick Marcus Smith is basically a non-factor during his rookie season. He's inactive four times and finishes the year by playing in just 313 snaps (fewer than 20 per game). He collects 14 tackles and a sack.

18. Despite eight sacks coming off the bench, the Eagles trade Brandon Graham to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft. The 27-year-old will finally be a starting defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, something that hasn't happened since he was a rookie. 

19. Injuries by both Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher allow Brandon Boykin to play about two-thirds of the defensive snaps, up from 2013, when he played in just 51 percent of plays. He turns in another Pro Bowl-caliber season, recording five interceptions, 19 passes defensed and surrendering just a 70.1 passer rating.

20. Nolan Carroll unofficially takes the starting job from Bradley Fletcher after Fletcher allows Rueben Randle to catch seven passes for 91 yards against him in Week 5. Carroll finishes the season by playing in just under 800 snaps, with four interceptions, 15 passes defensed and a 73.3 passer rating allowed. He'll be named to USA Today's All-Joe team following the year.

21. Malcolm Jenkins is far from Brian Dawkins or even Quinton Mikell on the football field. But he's much better than Patrick Chung or Jarrad Page. So essentially, he plays about how the Eagles expect. He finishes the season leading the team in defensive snaps (1,171) and collects two interceptions.

22. Cody Parkey becomes a city-wide hero when he connects for a 53-yard field goal to win the game in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. He finishes the season without getting cut, connecting on 25-of-31 field goals (80.6 percent), good for 23rd in the league. He also ranks 11th in kickoff distance and converts the only onside-kick try he attempts.

23. Although he sees a noticeable decline in his offensive statistics for the second straight season, Darren Sproles averages 11.4 yards per punt return, including an 83-yard game-winning touchdown return against the Washington Redskins in Week 16. 

24. Five players who dominate the Eagles this season: J.J. Watt (2.5 sacks, three hits, one forced fumble), Richard Sherman (one completion for eight yards), Andre Ellington (134 rushing yards, two TDs), Dez Bryant (267 yards, two TDs in two games) and Jordan Reed (13 catches for 192 yards and two TDs in two games).

25. DeSean Jackson catches nine passes for 114 yards and one touchdown in two games against the Eagles this season.

26. The Eagles' lone disaster showing comes against, you guessed it, the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle stifles Chip Kelly's high-powered offense, holding Foles to 131 passing yards and intercepting him twice. Richard Sherman limits Jordan Matthews to one catch for seven yards, and the Eagles fall 27-10. It's a major eye-opener for Eagles fans who think this team could compete for a Super Bowl appearance. 

27. The Eagles' most memorable game of the season comes in Week 15 at home against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Trailing 28-7 entering the fourth quarter, the trio of Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy and Jordan Matthews ignite a memorable comeback, tying the game at 28 with just 1:28 remaining.

Mychal Kendricks recovers a Fletcher Cox sack fumble against Tony Romo, leading to the most memorable play of the Chip Kelly era: a 39-yard screen-pass touchdown to Jordan Matthews that includes four broken tackles and downfield blocks from Jason Peters, Jason Kelce and Nick Foles. Tony Romo's last-second desperation Hail Mary attempt is intercepted by Nolan Carroll.

28. Veteran roster cuts following the season: James Casey, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, Cary Williams.

29. Pro Bowl selections: LeSean McCoy, Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Brandon Boykin.

30. Eagles losses: Week 2 at Indianapolis, Week 3 vs. Washington, Week 9 at Houston, Week 11 at Green Bay and Week 14 vs. Seattle. That's a 5-1 division record, including wins in their final five division games. 

31. Chip Kelly becomes the first Eagles head coach since Ray Rhodes (1995-1996) to reach the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. He's the only one ever to do it by virtue of two division titles. 

32. The Eagles score 456 points, a slight improvement over last year's total of 442. They rank fourth in the NFL in scoring, behind the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. 

33. They allow 373 points, a slight increase from last year's total of 382. They rank 16th in the NFL in scoring defense.

34. A 34-28 loss to the Chicago Bears (ironically, the same score when the two teams met in the preseason) at home in the Wild Card Round of the postseason ends the Eagles' season without a playoff win for the fourth time in the last six years and the second straight season in the Chip Kelly era.

35. The Eagles will be everybody's sleeper Super Bowl pick in 2015.