Eagles vs. Patriots Preseason Pick: Analysis & Prediction

NFL Preseason – Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots
 Where: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
When: Thursday August 15 at 7:00 PM EST
Watch: NFL Network

The Patriots (1-0) and Eagles (1-0) will both play their second of three preseason games this Thursday night under the lights at Gillette Stadium, the house that Brady built. Long ago seem the days of the Patriots dominance with Brady at the helm, and the fall has been drastic. The Patriots find themselves in the midst of a prolonged rebuild after whiffing on Mac Jones in the 2021 draft. The Patriots moved off of Mac Jones this past offseason and sent him to Jacksonville for a 6th-round pick. In the most recent draft, New England selected their next quarterback by taking Drake Maye out of North Carolina third overall. Also, did I mention that Bill Belichick and the team “parted ways” at the end of last season? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. First year head coach Jerod Mayo takes the reigns and hopes to right the ship coming off a 4-13 campaign.

The Patriots have recently placed a much higher emphasis on offensive productivity and have attempted to improve their explosiveness through the draft and free agency. Returning pass catchers DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry, they also brought in KJ Osborn and drafted Ja’Lynn Polk out of Washington and Javon Baker from UCF. Rhamondre Stevenson slots in as the starting running back, with newly acquired Antonio Gibson behind him on the depth chart. The key to the offense this year will mainly be quarterback play, but whether Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett, or even Joe Milton III is under center, it won’t matter if the offensive line is as porous as it has been. The defensive unit is relatively unchanged and has been the most consistent side of the ball over the past few seasons.

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The Eagles are a team loaded with talent from top to bottom on their roster. Jalen Hurts has been a touchdown machine as of late and when he is not sneaking it into the endzone from the 5-yard line or closer, he is connecting with his star-studded receiving tandem of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Former divisional rival Saquon Barkley also joined Philadelphia on a 3-year deal last offseason. On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagle’s secondary struggled mightily in 2023. Philadelphia used a 2nd and 4th-round draft pick to address this hole and brought in Cooper DeJean (Iowa) and Kelee Ringo (Georgia). Their front seven is a nightmare matchup for any opponent, and they can get after the quarterback at a rapid rate. This is a team that is ready to contend now, but they will need to focus on consistency throughout the lengthy 17-game schedule. The Eagles sprinted out of the gates last year, amassing ten wins in their first 11 games, but then stumbling the rest of the way and ultimately were dismantled by the Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Game.

My Pick: New England Patriots -2.5 (-110)

Preseason games are often tough to predict. How long will the starters play, if at all? Is winning a priority, or are preseason games now merely live practice sessions? Personally, I think these questions are extremely relevant when trying to bet NFL preseason football. In this matchup, I expect the Patriots to want and need a win more. This is a team that is angling for any sort of positive momentum, and with a true quarterback competition, there is extra incentive to perform at a high level. We should see more of Drake Maye in this game, and I expect the playbook to widen as well. There are very few secure starting spots on this Patriots roster, which presents opportunities to reward those who play well in the preseason. The Eagles have deprioritized preseason contests in recent years under Nick Sirianni. I don’t expect the Philadelphia starters to play many snaps with the primary goal of remaining healthy for their Week 1 clash with the Packers.