Are the Philadelphia Eagles destined for the NFC's one seed in 2023 despite threat from 49ers and Cowboys?
The Philadelphia Eagles were an absolute dominant force last season. The Eagles pulled off 14 wins and beat the 49ers to the one seed and had home playoff games against the Giants and 49ers. It's a good time to be an Eagles fan as it seems they have just gotten even better since their Super Bowl loss in Arizona.
Jalen Carter, whom many projected was the best defensive player in the 2023 draft, fell into the Eagles' lap at the ninth pick. Carter led the toughest defense in college with Georgia and has many senior players from that school in Philly. The Eagles wanted to fortify their pass rush by selecting Nolan Smith, who was also a Georgia defense player, near the end of the first round.
There is not a single position on the field where the Eagles do not have an elite player and an elite alternative. The Philadelphia Eagles have four excellent running backs. The trade for AJ Brown could not have worked out any better as he was one of the league's best receivers in 2022. Devonta Smith was also awesome last year and would be WR1 for most NFL teams.
Jason Kelce is ready to run it back for one more year, and the elite line from last year is virtually the same for 2023. And then there is the defensive line of 70 sacks, which is almost five sacks a game on average. You could not get to Jalen Hurts and you could not protect your quarterback against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles could have won 16 games last year if Hurts had played every game. The Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs were the only teams that could handle the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Jalen Hurts receiving his new contract this summer, Philly's Super Bowl is wide open and will be open for a long time to come.
Philadelphia Eagles have a favorable early schedule
Only two of the first seven games the Philadelphia Eagles play are against teams that made the playoffs last year. November to December is really the only tough run on the Eagles' schedule. Two games against division rival the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills, and the NFC conference rematch against the 49ers.
The headline though is the Monday Night Football game against last year's Super Bowl winner the Kansas City Chiefs. Before that rough stretch in November, the Eagles could be unbeaten and have a two or three-game lead for the one-seed in the NFC.
Playing the Giants twice and the lowly Cardinals should prove to give the Philadelphia Eagles the momentum they'll need heading into the post-season which they will almost certainly be a part of.