The Eagles will kick off their season as the home team agains the Packers at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6.
This is the first-ever NFL game in South America.
Let’s get to the predictions:
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Reuben Frank (0-0)
I don’t have a good feeling about this one. Nick Sirianni is 3-0 in openers, and the Eagles are 7-2 in September under Sirianni with six straight wins, and the Eagles are favored and they had a very good training camp and there’s a lot to be excited about this year. And I still think the Eagles are going to go 11-6 or 12-5 and win the NFC East. But my biggest concern is that it could take this defense a couple weeks to figure things out with potentially eight new starters, a new coaching staff, a new scheme, new everything. So much of defense is communication and chemistry and cohesion, and with only a handful of game reps in the preseason games and so much change, I’m not sure this defense is going to be quite ready for an offense like the Packers on Day 1. Green Bay ranked 12th in the NFL last year in scoring and averaged 28 points in its last nine games and Jordan Love was one of the NFL's best QBs the second half of the season. It’s not a disaster if the Eagles drop this one and it would be a heck of a start if they win this one. Picking Week 1 is never easy, but I’m going to go …
Packers 29, Eagles 27
Dave Zangaro (0-0)
NFL
There’s a lot of new with the Eagles in 2024 but they won their first three season openers under Nick Sirianni and I think that continues on Friday night in Brazil. The Eagles and Packers are both legitimate contenders in the NFC this season but they’re coming off very different finishes to the 2023 season. While the Packers thrived in the second half of the season, the Eagles completely collapsed. That collapse led to plenty of changes on the roster but especially with the coaching staff. We haven’t really seen this offense or defense aside from practices in training camp but I was impressed by what I witnessed. The defense should be shored up with a veteran defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore ought to be able to better maximize the wealth of talent on offense. It’s the first-ever NFL game in South America and it should be a good one. Ultimately, I think the Eagles pull it out.
Eagles 31, Packers 26
Barrett Brooks (0-0)
We are finally here — Game 1 of the 2024 Eagles season against the Green Bay Packers. There are a lot of unknowns going into this season for both teams. Both teams have new defensive coordinators. Offensively, both teams have good QBs and RBs. This is a hard game for me to predict victory without just being a homer for the Eagles. As I have watched this year's preseason and last year's Eagles epic collapse, I have to move in the direction of the Packers. Jordan Love played insane in the later part of last year. He eventually earned a top-five salary among NFL players. The Packers were on a roll and I don't see why they would slow down now going into this season.
I know this will offend Eagles fans as we head into this season, but I predicted an Eagles loss in Week 1 in Brazil and I’m not going to change now. I hope they win, but at this point I am saying a four-point loss. As you see, there is no deep analysis in this prediction. I still am locked in on the Eagles’ winning 12 to 13 games this season.
Packers 32, Eagles 28
Mike Mulhern (0-0)
The Jordan Love hype train left the station during a playoff win over the Cowboys and it hasn’t stopped. He looks the part of elite starter and has made the most out of a group of young pass catchers. But it wasn’t much before that game that the Packers lost a primetime matchup to Tommy DeVito and the Giants to fall to 6-8 in Love’s first season as an NFL starter. This isn’t to say Love is being overhyped, but I think the Packers are. Simply put, the Eagles are a better team with a more talented roster. They’ve held steady as 2.5 point favorites since this game was announced in April. They added Saquon Barkley and Jahan Dotson to an offense that already featured a pair of elite wide receivers. Kellen Moore brings fresh eyes as a playcaller and offensive schemer who will make the most of all that weaponry. Add it all up and Jalen Hurts should have a day against a defense that struggled last season and made a coordinator change themselves. The hope is Vic Fangio can muddy the picture just enough on the other side of the ball to force Love into a couple of mistakes and leave Sao Paolo with a win. A late Bryce Huff sack seals the deal.
Eagles 27, Packers 23
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