This Sunday the (0-0) Philadelphia Eagles and the (0-0) Detroit Lions will match up in the first week of the NFL regular season. Kick-off will be at 1:00 PM EST inside Ford Field. Both of these teams will be looking to start the season strong, as this will be the first real test for both these teams in 2022.
The Philadelphia Eagles are coming into this one after going 1-2 in the preseason. They will now play their starters for the full game, as Jalen Hurts and the Eagle's offense will attempt to jump out to a fast start.
The Detroit Lions also went 1-2 in the preseason, as they struggled against Pittsburgh in their final game. They will now have Jared Goff and the starters on the field, as the Lions will be attempting to be better than they were in 2021.
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The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2021 season with a 9-8 record, as they finished the season strong. They will now be looking to be even better in 2022, as they have made multiple upgrades on both sides of the field. According to Sports Reference, the Eagles scored 26.1 points per game in 2021, which was the 12th most in the league. They did most of their damage on the ground, as they averaged the most rushing yards per game with 159.7. Watch for Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, as these two were beasts last season. Philadelphia struggled to move the ball through the air, though. They only averaged 210.0 passing yards per game, which was the fourth least in the league. Jalen Hurts will be starting at QB in this one, as he will also be looking to be better this season. He finished the 2021 season with 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He also used his legs to help his team, as he is considered to be a dual-threat quarterback. The Eagles also picked up multiple weapons in the offseason, as Hurts will be throwing the ball to Goedert, Devonta Smith, and AJ Brown. Brown was traded to Philadelphia, as he had 63 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns for the Titans in 2021.
On the defensive side of the field, the Eagles have some room for improvement in 2022. Last season they allowed 3,756 yards through the air and 28 passing touchdowns. Their secondary was beaten multiple times last season, but Darius Slay and James Bradberry will look to lead this unit in 2021. They also upgraded their secondary after trading for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from the Saints. He will be playing safety for Philadelphia. As a team, the Eagles also gave up 22.6 points per game, which was the 18th most points given up per game. The Eagles have solid men up front, as Josh Sweat, Javon Hargrave, and Fletcher Cox will be looking to stop the run and put pressure on the opposing quarterback. They finished with 29 sacks last season, as they will be looking for more in 2022.