It is finally week 1. Which means we are just a couple of days away from Eagles football. They head up to Foxborough and will take on the New England Patriots to open the season.
This is not the same Patriots team they saw in the Super Bowl though, obviously. To start, Tom Brady has not been there for several years now. And it has shown. They are 25-25 in 3 seasons since Brady left. In two of those seasons, they had a losing record, including 8- 9 last year. They did make the Wild Card round in Mac Jones rookie season, but otherwise, it has been ugly since Brady’s departure.
But it is still Bill Belichick. And despite the recent struggles, most still regard him as the best Coach in NFL history. So as long as he is there, you can not overlook the Patriots. They also made a significant upgrade at Offensive Coordinator, trading in Matthew Patricia, who for some reason was put in charge of the offense last year, for Bill O’Brien. And while O’Brien did not fare well as a head coach, he has a good track record calling plays in both College and the NFL.
But besides the coaching staff, are there any hurdles the Eagles have to worry about in week 1? They get to let their prolific pass rush go up against a banged-up Patriots O-Line. QBs have a recent history of success running against Belichick’s defense. And Devonta Smith and AJ Brown will get to give Christian Gonzalez. But there are some areas where the Patriots can give the Eagles some trouble. And a few of the Patriots’ strengths, could be well suited to attack weaknesses on the Eagles. So before Sunday’s game, let’s look at what those are.
Here are 4 Patriots players who could give the Eagles some trouble in week 1:
Rhamondre Stevenson
The Eagles’ biggest question mark may be the linebacker room. Hopes are high for Nakobe Dean and Zach Cunningham, but we have not seen them do it for the Eagles in a real game yet. They will get tested right away in week 1. The Patriots’ best weapon on offense last year was RB Rhamondre Stevenson, who broke out for over 1400 total yards and 6TDs. Not just as a runner, but as a pass catcher too.
Knowing the Eagles love to get after the QB, there could be a lot of quick passes by the Patriots to try and neutralize the Eagles’ pass rush. And it is going to fall on the Eagles LBs to defend that. Can they do it? Not many teams were able to stop Stevenson last year. We will have to see if Dean and Cunningham are up to the test.
(Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Ezekiel Elliott
Zeke is not the same back he once was. But you can’t deny that he has a good history vs the Eagles. In 12 games, the Eagles only held him under 4 yards per carry 3 times. And he has gotten at least 80 yards 9 times. In total, he averages 4.8 yards per carry against the Eagles, has 1,107 yards, and 6 TDs. Stevenson is the more dangerous back at this point. But don’t count out Zeke.
(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Matthew Judon
The Patriots have a pair of dangerous pass rushers, Josh Uche and Matthew Judon. Uche had his first-ever double-digit sack season last year. But he will likely line up against Lane Johnson, and we know Lane Johnson never gives up any sacks. The issue may be Matthew Judon, who will be going up against Jordan Mailata.
Mailata had a very good year last season, especially as a run blocker. But he has at times been beatable as a pass blocker. He was credited with giving up 6 sacks last season and may get his toughest test all season right out of the bat in week 1. Maybe you neutralize him by running the ball at Judon early. Let Mailata go on the attack, instead of having to be on the defensive in the pass rush. They pulled a similar trick against Micah Parsons last year when Lane Johnson went out with a concussion and Parsons was beating up the backup. May also be effective here.
(Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
