Dec 18, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni greets quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) following a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports Joe Nicholson
Many eras will begin Friday night for the Eagles.
The post-Jason Kelce/Fletcher Cox Era.
The Kellen Moore offensive coordinator/Vic Fangio defensive coordinator Era.
The can Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni move past last year's collapse and get back on the same page, to whatever extent they were off it, Era.
And it will come against a trendy Super Bowl pick in the Green Bay Packers, on a Friday night in Brazil.
Depending upon where you look, the Eagles are anywhere between a 1 and 2.5-point favorite over the Packers. With that in mind, here's what our staff believes will ultimately happen in the season opener.
Tim Kelly
Score: Eagles 24, Packers 17
Game MVP: A.J. Brown
I've gone back and forth on this all week. I'm a big fan of Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur, though it wouldn't shock me if they are a team that has a bit of a Week 1 letdown, gets lambasted for it and then proceed to rip off seven wins in a row.
While Kellen Moore isn't an unknown quality in the league, he's new in Philadelphia, and I typically think having a new playcaller gives you an advantage early in the season while the rest of the league tries to catch up. A.J. Brown had a bizarre finish to his season last year, and I think he'll make a statement on the national stage to open up the season.
Kyle Scott
Score: Eagles 17, Packers 3
Game MVP: Jalen Hurts
The Eagles may have the best offense in the NFL, but these early season night games — never mind the Brazil aspect — are usually a mess, so it will remain low scoring. Expect a Packer defensive back to slip on the pitch.
Anthony SanFilippo
Score: Packers 31, Eagles 27
Game MVP: Josh Jacobs
There’s a lot of new going against each other for the first time today. Both coordinators for the Eagles and a new defensive scheme for Green Bay.
The one known entity is the Packers offense, and they’ll control the ball enough with a good balance behind Jacobs running the ball (also new) and sexy MVP pick Jordan Love to squeak out a win in a high-scoring affair despite strong games from Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley.
John Foley
Score: Eagles 35, Packers 31
Game MVP: Jalen Hurts
I see this as a high-scoring affair. There’s just so much offensive talent on this Eagles team. And now that they (hopefully) have adequate coaching, it’s easy to see the offense coming together.
Fixing the defense, however, will probably take some trial and error. I think they’ll figure it out over the course of the season. But in Week 1? Expect a shootout.
Austin Krell
Score: Eagles 34, Packers 23
Game MVP: DeVonta Smith
The Packers’ defense is not well thought of. I’d think they’ll try to prioritize stopping Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown. If they do, that frees up Smith and other weapons in the passing game to do their things.
