Week 1 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles @ Detroit Lions

Eagles football is BACK. There is a boatload of hype surrounding the 2022 Birds, and rightfully so. Many have crowned them the champions of the offseason because of all the additions made by Howie Roseman (more on that later). As fans, though, we know that championships aren’t won in the offseason. We all remember the infamous 2011 “Dream Team” that floundered their way to an 8-8 record after claiming the offseason championship.

 

Jason Kelce said it best. Expectations are fucking nothing. The Eagles, like the 31 other teams in the league, have to prove themselves.

 

 

On the other sideline, there is a lot of hype over the Detroit Lions, the Eagles first opponent. Part of that may have to do with Dan Campbell’s squad being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Getting an up, close, and personal look into the way Campbell runs his team is convincing for the fans at home. I, however, snooze heavily on carrying over anything from Hard Knocks into the regular season.

 

The Lions may be a trendy pick in the betting world as underdogs this week to the Birds. Don’t let it get in your head. Yes, the Lions are better than they were a year ago, but how much is that really saying for a team that had the #2 overall pick? The Eagles roster is more talented and deeper than Detroit’s in just about every aspect of the game. The Eagles should win this game.

 

Games aren’t won on paper though, as we know. In week one, all 32 teams and their players have the same goal: get to a Super Bowl. Because of that, each team has a little extra pep in their step. Week one is wonky, and this year should be no different. Hopefully the Eagles are the exception.

 

Eagles Offense vs. Lions Defense

 

An Improved Attack

 

Whether you like it or not, the overall evaluation of every Eagles game this season is going to be tied to Jalen Hurts’ performance. If the Eagles win a game where Hurts doesn’t play well, I can almost guarantee that the latter situation will be the most talked about in Philadelphia media.

 

He has a lot to prove, there is no doubting that. One way or another, come seasons end, we will have an answer on Jalen Hurts’ future as the Birds quarterback. For me, it’s fairly simple. If he doesn’t improve with this roster then he won’t be here next year. Fair or not, this Eagles team is young but still built to compete, and ultimately win, right now.

 

The Eagles offense only added one starter in the offseason, yet there is an abundance of optimism heading into the season. That’s what happens when the one addition is a star receiver like A.J. Brown. The 24-year-old Brown, who doubles as one of Hurts’ best friends off the field, should immediately inject life into a passing offense that was average at best a year ago. The only thing that can stop Brown, it seems, is his allergy to bees.

 

 

2021’s mediocre passing attack takes nothing away from fellow receiver Devonta Smith and established tight end Dallas Goedert, each of which had as big of an impact as they possibly could have in 2021. Goedert should continue to be a mismatch nightmare for linebackers in space as well as a legitimate threat in the red zone. Smith, who set the franchise record for receiving yards as a rookie, should benefit greatly from the addition of Brown. The more attention Brown sees, the better the situation for Smitty.

 

The Eagles return all of the key cogs to a rushing attack that ranked #1 in all of pro football a year ago. Despite not having a true workhorse, the trio of Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott has proven to be extremely productive. A lot of that success could be attributed to the Birds offensive line, who is easily one of the best, if not the best, in all of football.

 

Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, and Lane Johnson are an intimidating group of dogs. Not like the dogs of the underdog variety in 2017. This group is one of the most aggressive, technically sound, and gritty collections of talent in the league. May the Lord bless Jeff Stoutland’s soul.

 

Only Up From Here

 

One of the many reasons the Detroit Lions finished tied for the worst record in the league is because of their defense. They ranked 29th in total defense, 23rd in pass defense, and 28th in rush defense while surrendering the second most points in the league.

 

Despite their lack of success a season ago, the only consequential addition to their defense was #2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson. There’s no denying the talent the Michigan standout possesses, as he will vastly improve a pass rush that ranked 30th in sacks a year ago. The same can’t be said for the rest of the defense.

 

While the secondary will get back former #3 overall pick Jeff Okudah after a season-ending achilles injury in 2021, there were plenty of question marks surrounding him after his rookie season in 2020. Penn State legend Amani Oruwariye was one of the league leaders in interceptions in 2021. Part of the reason he had so many interceptions is because teams kept going at him. Don’t let the interceptions fool you, he’s not an elite corner.

 

The linebackers and safeties on this team leave a lot to be desired. While Hard Knocks will lead you to believe that Malcolm Rodriguez, who has maybe the laziest nickname of all time (Rodrigo), is one of the best linebackers in the league, he’s currently listed as a backup on the Lions depth chart. Even still, he might be the most recognizable name out of anyone in those position groups for Detroit, though Alex Anzalone is a fine linebacker.

 

 

The gap in talent between the Eagles offense and Lions defense is rather large. I would be shocked if the Eagles don’t have their way with Detroit’s defensive unit.

 

Eagles Defense vs. Lions Offense

 

The Howie Roseman Master Class

 

While A.J. Brown was the biggest name of all the additions this offseason, the defense is the unit that got substantially better. Howie Roseman deserves all the credit for that. The Eagles not only improved at every position on defense, they gained a ton of depth.

 

The defensive line is as deep as ever, a Roseman special. The addition of rookie Jordan Davis and elite veteran pass rusher Haason Reddick fill holes the Eagles had this year and in the future. The return of ageless wonder Brandon Graham is unquantifiably important for this team leadership wise, as well as in every aspect of defensive line play.

 

While Nakobe Dean is the linebacker everyone’s excited to see play in an Eagles uniform, I would be mildly surprised if we saw a ton, if any, meaningful snaps from him on Sunday. The new guy we should expect to see is Kyzir White, a veteran who came over in free agency. White led the Chargers in tackles in 2021, Roseman swooped in and got him for extremely cheap, and now White’s expected to be the starter at inside linebacker this season. He made an immediate impact in his only possession of the preseason.

 

 

The Eagles secondary is the group that has seen the most turn over. Pro Bowler Darius Slay and slot corner Avonte Maddox are the only 2021 starters to return this season, which is probably for the best. Roseman recently pulled off another one of his patented unexpected upgrades when he traded for safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, a massive upgrade at the Eagles thinnest position. He’ll join Marcus Epps at safety, and another newcomer at cornerback in James Bradberry.

 

There’s a ton of defensive talent that the Eagles didn’t have a year ago. The expectations are high, and everyone is looking to one man as the only guy who could screw it up. Enter stage right, Jonathan Gannon.

 

Gannon’s defense from a year ago can best be described as a mirage. Eagles fans, including myself, despised his lackadaisical style of play. Yet, the Birds somehow finished in the top ten in total defense in 2021. I attribute most of that to the terrible quarterbacks the Eagles played down the stretch. It’s well documented how bad the Birds defense was when they faced a competent signal caller.

 

 

Gannon’s 2022 looks a lot like Jalen Hurts’ in my opinion. Due to the added talent at Gannon’s disposal, we’re going to find out whether the lack of talent in 2021 was part of the issue, or if Gannon is the fraud we all thought. One way or another, we’ll know for sure by season’s end.

 

It’s unclear what kind of defensive personnel Gannon will run this season. As of now, it looks like a hybrid of a 4-3, 3-4, and 4-2-5. I think a lot of the personnel will depend on opponent and in-game situations. There could be times where we see four defensive lineman anchored by Graham and Josh Sweat on the edges. There could be times where we see three defensive lineman anchored by Jordan Davis in the middle and Reddick as an edge-rushing linebacker. There will be plenty of times where Gannon uses five defensive backs, a new norm in the NFL as the passing game becomes more prevalent.

 

As confusing as the lineups may be for us as fans at home, the hope is that it’s just as confusing for the opposing team.

Not The Same Lions Offense

 

In last year’s matchup between the Birds and Lions, Detroit was in the midst of an 11 game-winless streak to start the season. They mustered up two field goals, and that was it. I don’t expect a similar performance from quarterback Jared Goff and the rest of his offense this time around.

 

Goff is the epitome of average. He’ll make some plays, he’ll make some mistakes. He was a lot better at the end of last season when he finally came to grips with the fact he was living in Detroit instead of Los Angeles.

 

He has some decent targets to throw to in receivers Amon-Ra St.Brown, D.J. Chark, and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Unfortunately for them, I think the Eagles have the dudes to match up with each of them.

 

St. Brown is the prototypical slot receiver, so I expect Maddox to cover him in what is sure to be a good matchup. Chark is an average receiver going up against either Slay or Bradberry. The Eagles should have the advantage regardless of who he lines up against. As for Hockenson, he’ll likely be matched up with Kyzir White if he’s not matched up with Maddox. White is a former college safety, so he’s extremely comfortable in pass coverage.

 

D’andre Swift, the Philadelphia native and St.Joe’s Prep graduate, has had a tough time finding his footing so far in the league. Many expect a breakout year from him, but he’ll face tough sledding against the Birds. Not only are the Eagles notorious for having a stout rush defense, the already average Lions offensive line is banged up. Former Eagles legend Halapoulivaati Vaitai was placed on injured reserve this week, and center Frank Ragnow is dealing with a groin injury. Even if he does play, he’ll be hampered.

 

 

My Prediction

 

This game will not be the 44-6 drubbing it was last October, that much is clear. However, I think the line set by Vegas that has this game as a four point advantage for the Eagles is fishy. Either I’m missing something, or Vegas is trying to bait people into riding the high of Hard Knocks to believe in the Lions.

 

I don’t see it. I think the Lions will be a lot better this year than the 3-13-1 record they had a year ago. I also don’t think they’ll be in playoff contention the way we all expect the Eagles to be. Both things can be true.

 

Week one is always wacky, I get it. To me, though, the discrepancy in talent between the two rosters is too noticeable for me to not side with the Birds.

 

It’s hard to ignore recent history when thinking about the Eagles in season openers, too. The Birds haven’t lost a non-Covid-year (and they would have won that game if not for Carson Wentz’s incompetence) season opener since 2015, when Chip Kelly was in his final year and Kiko Alonso had a one-handed interception against Matt Ryan’s Falcons.

 

 

In fact, since 2011 the Eagles are 9-2 in season openers. How much effect will that have on the actual game? Absolutely none. But, it gives us fans something to hold on to. I think they’ll improve that record to 10-2 on Sunday.

 

Eagles win, 34-22. I think it’ll be close in the first half, but the Eagles step on the gas to open up the second half and end up coasting to a 1-0 start. Let’s all manifest a slant that A.J. Brown takes 60-yards to the house, because let’s be honest, that’s what we all want to see.

 

Go Birds.

 

Broadcast Information

Time: 1:00 P.M. EDT

TV: FOX, Adam Amin (play by play), Mark Schlereth (analyst) and Kristina Pink (sideline)

Radio: 94.1 WIP

Stream: NFL+

 

 

By Matt Szczypiorski | September 10, 2022
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