This past season, the Philadelphia Eagles won an NFL championship for the first time since 1960. Is Doug Pederson’s club primed to repeat?
They were arguably the league’s most consistent team from start to finish in 2017. And even though their starting quarterback went down for the season in early December, the Philadelphia Eagles proved once again that that football is unquestionably a team sport. Led down the stretch by Nick Foles and featuring a club that was steady in all facets of the game, Doug Peterson’s club would cap off an incredible season with a 41-33 win over the favorite New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
But this is the free agency era. And teams can change dramatically in just one offseason. So are the reigning Super Bowl champions on course to defend their crown?
Here is how the complete schedule, week-by-week, lays out for the defending Super Bowl champion Birds:
Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons (TNF)
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week 4: at Tennessee Titans
Week 5: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 6: at New York Giants (TNF)
Week 7: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 8: at Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys (SNF)
Week 11: at New Orleans Saints
Week 12: vs. New York Giants
Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins (MNF)
Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams (SNF)
Week 16: vs. Houston Texans
Week 17: at Washington Redskins
The Philadelphia defense came up big when it had to this past season but Jim Schwartz’s unit has some new faces in defensive end Michael Bennett and cornerback Daryl Workey (both acquired via trade), as well as veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. On the other hand, cornerback Patrick Robinson and defensive linemen Vinny Curry and Beau Allen are now with other teams.
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No team has repeated as Super Bowl champion since the Patriots turned the trick in 2003 (XXXVIII) and ’04 (XXXIX). Can Pederson and company get the job done? It’s a team that already has a much different look to it than a year ago.