With one of the weakest schedules in the NFL last year, the Philadelphia Eagles closed the season 6-2 and somehow managed to earn a wild card playoff spot with a 9-8 record. The Eagles won four straight – two against Washington – over their last five games to make the playoffs playing in what is probably the NFL’s most dysfunctional division.
The roster has plenty of holes, but the Eagles had the best rushing offense in the NFL averaging 159.7 yards per game. They did not have one rusher over 800 yards, but Jalen Scott ran for 784 and Miles Sanders hit 754. Boston Scott and Jordan Howard combined for another 700-plus. Three of the four backs return in 2022. Can the Eagles return to the postseason?
Philadelphia Eagles Regular Season Win Total Betting Lines
OVER 9.5 (-155)
UNDER 9.5 (+125)
Last Season
The Eagles started last season 2-5 and were headed straight for the dumpster before the entire season took a turn for the better. Philly won at Denver and then beat New Orleans at home. This would start a stretch of seven straight games against teams that did not make the postseason.
Philadelphia won six of seven before a meaningless loss to Dallas in the regular season finale. The Eagles had already locked up a wild card spot before the 51-26 loss to the Cowboys. Philly proved that it didn’t really belong in the playoffs as they were easily dispatched in the first round by Tampa Bay 31-15.
Eagles Key Losses Heading Into 2022
Losing Howard hurts the running back depth, which is still among the best in the NFL. Guard Brandon Brooks retired, which hurts the offensive line. DT Hassan Ridgeway and linebackers Genard Avery and Alex Singleton all left in free agency and the Eagles roster really isn’t all that strong on either side of the ball.
2022 Philadelphia Eagles Team Preview
Jalen Hurts once again mans the quarterback spot. He completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,114 yards and 16 touchdowns. Hurts is a threat with his legs, but he still needs to prove he can be elite level quarterback in the league.
Head coach Nick Sirianni will undoubtedly rely heavily on the run game once again. The Eagles did trade for WR A.J. Brown. Along with DeVonta Smith, Brown will form a pretty dynamic duo at the wide receiver position. The Eagles were mediocre on defense last season. They added CB James Bradberry and LBs Hasson Reddick and Kyzir White to help improve on that side of the ball.
2022 Philadelphia Eagles Schedule
The Eagles do get the pleasure of playing in the NFC East, one of the weakest divisions in all of football. They went 3-3 in the division last year. That’s likely the result this year at best. The Eagles open the season at Detroit and then get Minnesota at home on a Monday night. Washington follows and a home game with Jacksonville could lead to a strong Eagles start in 2022.
The Eagles will play three prime time games and play at Dallas on Christmas Eve, a Saturday this year. They will have tough games against Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Tennessee; but all three are at home.
2022 Eagles Regular Season Win Total Prediction
After making the playoffs in 2021, expectations will be high in 2022. The problem is that the Eagles just don’t have the roster to compete. Hurts has yet to prove he belongs in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL. The Eagles have two first-round picks in the 2023 draft and you can bet they are saving one just in case Hurts doesn’t pan out.
The defense is mediocre at best. The offense can run the football, but in a game predicated on the passing game the Eagles finished 25th averaging just over 200 passing yards per game. That isn’t going to cut it. Getting to nine wins this season will be hard enough. Ten? Not likely.
PICK: PHILADEPHIA EAGLES UNDER 9.5 (+125)
Read our 2022 Cowboys team preview and 2022 Giants team preview.