Eagles eye second straight NFC East crown with talented team

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 17: Dallas Goedert #88, Zach Ertz #86, Carson Wentz #11, and Lane Johnson #65 of the Philadelphia Eagles huddle against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field on November 17, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia Eagles are both attempting to defend their NFC East crown and get back to the Super Bowl with one of the game’s best rosters.

Best-case scenario

This team earns a playoff berth but thanks primarily to their divisional record and a road win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.

A home playoff win in the Wild Card round isn’t unlikely, but with so many good teams in the NFC,a can Philadelphia beat any of them on the road come January?

The ceiling here is a trip to the NFC’s Divisional Round and a loss there. The floor is another Wild card Round loss.

Worst-case scenario

Seeing as how the injury bug seems to have built a nest at this team’s facilities, this season could mirror the most recent. Another one where Philly struggles all year, makes a late-season push, and finds its way into the postseason by way of a division title.

They’re better than Dallas. That will serve them well late, but the question is whether or not they have the stuff to compete with legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Don’t be surprised if they go one-and-done in the postseason again.

Biggest offseason move

The reconstruction of this secondary will be key. Darius Slay was the perfect acquisition for this team. The signings of Nickell Robey-Coleman and Will Parks via free agency were underrated moves, and K’Von Wallace is a star in the making. Don’t forget Marquand Manuel was hired in the offseason as the defensive backs coach. He’ll have his guys ready to play every Sunday.

Draft pick who makes the big impact

Jalen Reagor is a stud. For some reason he has been condemned for playing against sub-par defenses in the Big 12 though. CeeDee Lamb is praised for what he’s done at the collegiate level as if people have forgotten he’s a product of the same conference.

Call it a crazy theory, but Reagor could break Philly’s franchise record for all-purpose yards by a rookie even missing time early.

Overall expectations

Philly isn’t winning the Super Bowl in 2020, but like Andy Reid’s teams in the ’00 and ’01 seasons, we could see the building blocks put into place for a tough and capable team ahead.

This team has a gauntlet ahead, but with Carson Wentz under center, they’ll have a chance to win every game. They’ll play each of the teams from the NFC West and the AFC North, They’ll also face the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, so it won’t be easy.

Still, a 9-7 or a 10-6 record is attainable, and in a weak NFC East, that could be enough to take the crown. There’s a great team with some longevity being built in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’, and ‘Birds’ fans have a reason to be excited.