Three Biggest Games: Philadelphia Eagles

Featuring a light speed offense, an improved defense and a head coach still yet to reach his peak on a professional level, the Eagles are one of the most attractive pre-season Super Bowl picks. They may not have the depth, pedigree or outright skill as some of their NFC counterparts, but there is something volatile about this Philly team that could trouble more than a few contenders in the final stretch to the playoffs. Here are three teams Chip Kelly and his crew must handle in order to turn heads this year.

Week 2 vs. Dallas Cowboys

Philly’s first home game of the season will be a blockbuster, as they prepare to host archrivals and reigning division champions, the Dallas Cowboys. Historical bad blood aside, this early season meeting is brimming with storylines. One of the franchises newest players, DeMarco Murray, will have an enormous chip on his shoulder after many felt his stellar 2014 season in Dallas was somewhat diminished by an overpowered O-line. Will Murray run riot over his former team? Can Philly’s promising D-line penetrate the “Great Wall of Dallas” enough to trouble Tony Romo? Either way, this one will be decided in the trenches.

Week 5 vs. New Orleans Saints

On paper, it looks as though the Eagles face far more threatening opposition than the Saints in 2015. Last year, New Orleans was a party to perhaps the single worst division in NFL history. If you had to put money on somebody winning the dismal NFC South this year, it would be hard to go past Drew Brees and an offense with more than enough firepower to trouble Philly’s struggling secondary. Even though Philly’s quarterback situation is still subject to change – with Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and even Tim Tebow vying for the right to start – the game plan must remain the same: ball control and plenty of points on the board.

Week 12 at Detroit Lions

Aside from the fact that the Lions have shown up in a big way during their more recent Thanksgiving Day outings, this game is crucial because of a rough final stretch for the Eagles. After this week 12 affair, Philly will face the defending champion Patriots in New England, followed by home games against the plucky Bills and Cardinals, both of whom should boast top-10 defenses in 2015, and two divisional clashes to end the season, which are always a crapshoot in the wild NFC East. The basic idea is that this game could either kick-start an Eagles team finding its groove at just the right time, or spark a dramatic collapse that restricts their January activities to golf, not football.