The Philadelphia Eagles exploded onto the scene last season. A team that was picked to be third or last in the NFC East with a rookie head coach instead won the division and very nearly beat the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round of the playoffs. Chip Kelly has proved that he can coach at the professional level, refuting a lot of experts who thought his attitude, manner, and style of play would not work in the NFL. Now comes the next test for Kelly: getting his team to follow up one really good season with another. The Eagles don’t want to be thought of as a one-hit wonder or an accident. They would like to get back to the playoffs and win a game this time around.
Strengths
The Eagles’ offense is their strength. It’s not just because Chip Kelly’s coaching it, though that’s certainly a part of it. Nick Foles has rounded into a solid NFL quarterback, one who appears ready to handle whatever is thrown in his direction. LeSean McCoy is a superb running back with evident pass-catching skills coming out of the backfield. He is a great safety valve for Foles and a complementary piece for so many members of the Eagles’ offense. He draws attention from linebackers out of the backfield, which opens up the middle of the field for the tight end and has the possibility of sucking up a free safety so that a wideout can run a post pattern. The receivers are extremely fast, just the way Kelly wants them to be after benefiting from great speed as a college coach at Oregon. This offense should be able to do a lot in 2014.
Weaknesses
The Eagles’ defense, especially against the run, will be a big concern. Philadelphia passed the ball so well in the second half of the NFC wild card game against the New Orleans Saints last season, but the Eagles lost the game because they couldn’t stop New Orleans between the tackles. Philadelphia’s front seven was gouged in a night home playoff game. When that happens despite a tidal wave of energy being poured into players by their home crowd, it’s clear that Philadelphia’s players along the defensive line just weren’t good enough. The Eagles have to get a lot tougher at the line of scrimmage on defense, or they’re not going to win a playoff game this season.
Schedule
The Eagles are loving the fact that like other NFC East teams, their interconference games come against the AFC South, which should point to a 3-1 record if things go as they should. Philadelphia plays four of its non-division NFC games against the NFC West, though, which is a drawback. It will be tough for the Eagles to do more than split those four games. The Eagles also play Green Bay and Carolina outside the NFC East.
Outlook
The Eagles do have to deal with the NFC West, but they look like the best team in the NFC East. They should also be able to feast on the AFC South. If the Eagles get to 10 wins, that would sound about right.
Pick: Over 9
