The Philadelphia Eagles will kick off their 2020-2021 season this Sunday against the Washington Football Team. The Eagles won the NFC East last season with a 9-7 record. The Washington Football Team (Washington Redskins last year) had an unproductive season with a 3-13 record. The Eagles are facing a Washington team under new head coach Ron Rivera. In a majority of Philly vs Washington matchups, the result of the games seem to be close no matter how much better either team is. With that, here are my 3 keys to success for the Eagles to take down Washington this Sunday.
Key #1: Quarter Back protection
The Eagles are being faced with a difficult situation with their offensive line going into this season. Injuries and confusion based around who will be playing what position, seem to be the main problems facing the O line. The other day, news broke that Jason Peters is indeed moving to LT. Good news for the team, but the offensive line is still filled with problems. Eagles starting right tackle Lane Johnson is day to day with a lower-body issue, a big loss for the Eagles line if Lane is unable to play. It is crucial that the offensive line does the best possible job they can in protecting Carson Wentz. The Eagles can not afford to let Carson get injured. The O line needs to perform well this Sunday for the Eagles to win.
Key #2: Secondary containing McLaurin
The Eagles Secondary containing 2nd year WR Terry McLaurin is very important this week. The Eagles Secondary needs to play well this season for the Eagles to win games. In the past, the Eagles secondary has been (for the most part) lacking in performance. Time and time again corners were getting blown by, and committing ridiculous penalties. No more Rasul Douglas or Sidney Jones, and now Ronald Darby is a member of the Washington Football Team. The secondary improved this offseason when the Eagles acquired CB Darius Slay. In addition to that, they signed CB Nickell Robey-Coleman and S Will Parks. They moved Jalen Mills to Safety with Malcolm Jenkins being signed to the Saints. We need the secondary to be better this season, much better than they have been in past years.
Key #3: Wide receivers helping Wentz
Last season, the theme for the Philadelphia Eagles was injuries. Eagles WR Desean Jackson returned to Philly last season and scored 2 touchdowns in week one vs Washington. Unfortunately, he got injured the following week and was out for the majority of the season. Alshon Jeffery played 10 games, Nelson Agholor underperformed, and he had a number of dropped passes (Agholor is now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders). WR Greg Ward stepped up and became the first option wide receiver by the end of the season. The Eagles drafted Jalen Reagor in the first round of the draft, but he is currently injured. He should be back within a couple of weeks. It is crucial that the wide receivers stay healthy and help Carson. They need to give him opportunities to create big plays and put points on the board.
I believe the Eagles will win on Sunday 24-14, and start the season 1-0. Let’s hope that the team is able to avoid injuries and stay healthy.
Philadelphia Sports Chronicle 