The Week 1 contest of the Philadelphia Eagles is official. They will face the Green Bay Packers in Brazil on Sept. 6, setting the stage for the 2024 NFL season.
While it will surely be a fun experience and environment, this game will allow the Eagles to put their 2023 woes to rest. Against a young, up-and-coming Super Bowl contender, Philadelphia can start off their season right this time.
Eagles Won Unconvincingly in 2023
It was apparent from the moment the Eagles’ 2023 season started that they were a bit of a step behind where they were in 2022. Sure, they won 10 of their first 11 games, but they did so in an unconvincing fashion. They had many one-score games and typically played down to opponents. Their elite level of talent bailed them out of certain doom on countless occasions, and it just wasn’t a sustainable model.
Now that the Eagles have new coaches on the offense and defense as well as new voices in the locker room, that has the potential to change. While this season’s team will have a similar structure, it will be different in many senses. They can finally shake the “fraud” narrative that, frankly, ended up being true. They have to get that monkey off of their backs and look good on both sides of the ball.
Not winning games by big margins wasn’t necessarily the Eagles’ problem. Sometimes, your best is only enough to win by one score. Therein lies the issue — the Eagles never gave their true best. Whether it was poor ball security, defensive play, or play-calling, something went horribly wrong in every game for Philadelphia. It wasn’t just against contenders — it was essentially every week.
So, what does that mean for the 2024 team?
Starting off strong could really help them down the stretch.
Forming better habits might help them succeed. For arguably all 10 of the Eagles’ wins when they started off 10-1, they got away with not playing their best football. It’s ignorant to assume the team would have a perfect game all the time, but they were playing like a .500 NFL team and not the best in the league, as their record suggested. When they won by just five points against the lowly 4-13 New England Patriots in Week 1 in a game where they were arguably outplayed, things never got better. They kept winning largely because of the talent gap.
It’s a new season now, and the talent gap between Philadelphia and Green Bay is much more subtle. The Eagles objectively have the better on-paper roster and should match up well with them, but the game will indicate where Philadelphia is at. Week 1 has been a nice indicator for them for a while now.
In 2023, they struggled but won mostly because of their talent. In 2022, they had an explosive offense against the Detroit Lions, but they didn’t close out the game well with some defensive blunders in a 38-35 final — sound familiar? In 2021, they showed flashes on both offense and defense despite being a young team coming off of a bad season against the Atlanta Falcons. In 2020, they lost by two scores to the Washington Commanders.
There’s no point in being redundant — Week 1 in the NFL is huge. It sets the tone for the entire season and has done so for a very long time. The Eagles don’t necessarily have to beat the Packers, but they will have to show up. A win only means something if they play well.
Are the Packers Next Up?
While the Packers were only 9-8 last season and won a single playoff game, they were one of the more impressive NFC teams. Despite being among the younger teams the NFL has seen in the Super Bowl era, they made the playoffs and were pretty impressive in them. They routed the Dallas Cowboys on the road in a first-half stunner, leading 27-7 after 30 minutes. In a one-score showdown, they fell to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
But does this make them a legitimate contender in the NFC? Will they see regression, or will progression be in their future due to their youthful nature?
Quarterback Jordan Love was very impressive last season, so it’s possible that the 25-year-old will only continue to get better. Now that he has a full season under his belt, he could take the Packers to contention with him.
With the NFC seemingly getting just a bit stronger from where it was entering last season, the Eagles have to prove that they are still among the best. After a disappointing season where they didn’t win as much as a playoff game, they can’t fall off the map. Week 1 can prove that.
While the 2024 Eagles and 2023 Eagles are two completely different teams, there are some narratives that they will need to put to rest.
Does Philadelphia have what it takes to start off strong and put up a fight against a solid Packers team, or will they falter and put themselves in a bad place early?
Photo: —
Justin Giampietro
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