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NFL season preview content.

With the 2020 NFL schedule almost here (such a nice thing to be able to type!), let’s take a look at over/under Win totals for not only the Philadelphia Eagles but also their 13 regular season opponents.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: 9.5 wins

Explanations from Bleeding Green Nation (AKA me):

Why over: Carson Wentz managed to lead the Eagles to nine wins last year despite working with the NFL’s worst wide receivers. There’s reason to believe his supporting skill players will be better in 2020. DeSean Jackson is healthy and looking spry as ever, Jalen Reagor looks ready to contribute when he gets healthy, and pretty much all of the Eagles’ receivers looked good in training camp. Philly’s offense has the potential to be much more explosive. The defense is also expected to improve with the additions of Darius Slay and Javon Hargrave. Jim Schwartz is one of the better defensive coordinators in the NFL and he’s gotten more out of less in recent years.

Why under: The Eagles’ offensive line has the potential to be a disaster. Starting left tackle Andre Dillard and starting right guard Brandon Brooks are already out for the season. The Eagles moved Jason Peters back to left tackle but the 38-year-old likely isn’t going to be able to play 100% of the offensive snaps. It’s not perfectly clear who will play at left tackle if Peters isn’t lining up there. Signing Cordy Glenn would help. Otherwise, it could Matt Pryor, who was getting wrecked while lining up there in practice. Or it could be Jordan Mailata, who has never played an NFL snap and was also getting wrecked while lining up there in practice. The Eagles may have finally gotten the wide receiver position right but it might not matter if Wentz doesn’t have time to throw the ball. He might get crushed back there.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM: 5 wins

The Eagles play them in Week 1 and Week 17. Explanations from Hogs Haven:

Why over: Ron Rivera and a new outlook in D.C. is likely a real thing. As the team name changes and controversy surrounds management, Rivera is the presence this team needs to put together wins. Of course, a step forward by QB Dwayne Haskins will need to happen as well, but Rivera has shown he can help get the most out of his quarterbacks in the past. On paper, this team added a dominant defensive player in Chase Young and a big play waiting to happen in Antonio Gibson in this year’s draft to go along with already proven receiver Terry McLaurin.

Why under: All of those things that Ron Rivera might be able to help in changing the culture of this team could get drowned out pretty quickly with losses and surrounding noise. And with a team that lacks a strong base on their offensive line, they could easily snowball into yet another three win or fewer season. Haskins will need to keep his head on straight, as he’ll likely be running for his life more than not and relying on young players who are bound to make mistakes.

LOS ANGELES RAMS: 8 wins

The Eagles host them in Week 2. Explanations from Turf Show Times:

Why over: The Rams win totals over the last three years are 11, 13, and 9. All above 8. In that time, they’ve had the same head coach, same quarterback, same left tackle, same star defensive tackle, same two star receivers and they’re all coming back in 2020, plus Jalen Ramsey. I think were it not for the underwhelming results of going 9-7 after making the Super Bowl, people would be projecting the Rams as “trending up” right now potentially. Had they gone 6-10 in 2018, how would people feel about them going 9-7 and nearly 10-6 or 11-5 last season if not for a play or two? All Sean McVay has to do is lead his team to a winning season to beat 8 wins, something he’s done in 3 of 3 years.

Why under: The Rams lost two of their best players on defense this offseason and didn’t add much in the way of notable veteran talent. They also went without a first round pick again. The converse argument to trending upwards is that the Rams did go down from 13 wins to 9 wins. Are they going to go 7-9 then? Being in potentially the NFL’s toughest division, with the 49ers and Seahawks both being picked among Super Bowl favorites, and the Cardinals potentially getting better after adding DeAndre Hopkins and others, LA certainly has to fight a tougher fight than most teams.

CINCINNATI BENGALS: 5.5 wins

The Eagles will host them in Week 3. Explanations from Cincy Jungle:

Why over: If the Bengals can keep Joe Burrow upright, he should be a significant upgrade over what Andy Dalton gave them in 2019, especially now the A.J. Green is healthy, while the team added former Clemson star Tee Higgins to an already-deep receiver group that includes Green, Tyler Boyd, Auden Tate and John Ross. That many weapons will be hard for any secondary to keep up with. And on defense, the Bengals added a major impact player in defensive tackle D.J. Reader to what’s already one of the scarier defensive lines in football with Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. If the Bengals can just stay relatively healthy (always a big if with this franchise), six wins should be the minimum this team gets.

Why under: The offensive line is still a major question mark and could derail a loaded offense if it continues to be one of the league’s worst units. And Burrow is a rookie with no preseason games, so his regular-season growing pains will likely be worse than in a normal season. And while the defense has a lot of talent, Trae Waynes is already set to miss most of the season, and the linebacker group is as big of a question mark as the offensive line.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: 10.5 wins

The Eagles will visit them in Week 4. Explanations from Niners Nation:

Why over: The 49ers have a favorable schedule to start the season, a lot like last year, and that will allow San Francisco to get away with some of the injuries that would generally hurt them against better teams. The depth has improved on both sides of the ball, and everyone expects Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel to be even better than they were during their rookie seasons. Adding Trent Williams at left tackle doesn’t hurt, either. With Kyle Shanahan calling the plays, you have a chance to score 30 points every time you take the field. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers boast the best defensive line and arguably the fastest defense in the NFL. Expect the Niners defense to wreak havoc all season.

Why under: The injury bug. The 49ers lost three receivers before they even got out of their first practice. Those injuries haven’t slowed down and it’s hard to imagine they will when there’s actual contact. If Jimmy Garoppolo’s turnovers continue, as they have during training camp, and the depth is depleted with injuries, the 49ers will struggle to reach 11 wins.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS: 9 wins

The Eagles will visit them in Week 5. Explanations from Behind The Steel Curtain:

Why over: The Steelers were a ridiculously banged up team in 2019, and still managed to win 8 games. They lost Ben Roethlisberger, and had numerous other injuries throughout the roster, yet were just one win away from making the postseason.The defense on this team alone will keep the Steelers in almost every game they play, and is good enough to win them a few of those close contests. They led the NFL in takeaways in 2019, and that trend likely will continue. Add in an offense who can actually produce more than 18.8 points per game, and actually eclipse 30 points per game at least once, and this team should be a double-digit win team.

Why under: While the team is entering 2020 healthy, they have a long list of players who are labeled as injury prone. Ben Roethlisberger, Eric Ebron, James Conner, Vance McDonald, Stephon Tuitt...I could go on. If the injury bug sweeps through the Steelers’ locker room, there is no way this team will be above .500. This might be true for a lot of teams in the National Football League, but this season it seems even more pertinent for the Steelers.

BALTIMORE RAVENS: 11 wins

The Eagles will host them in Week 6. Explanations from Baltimore Beatdown:

Why over: Baltimore’s overwhelming offense from last season remained mostly intact over the offseason. They held onto considerable talent, though they lost All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda. Even so, another offseason for Lamar Jackson to improve coupled with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown’s transformative offseason are huge positives to remain a top-contender in 2020. The Ravens also added big-name pass rushers this offseason, including DE Calais Campbell and DE Derek Wolfe. Make no mistake, the secondary still boasts two 2019 All-Pro cornerbacks while also adding CB Tavon Young, who missed the 2019 season with a torn ACL. The Ravens improved in many categories while hanging onto both coordinators, a rarity for the franchise.

Why under: Winning 11 of 16 NFL games is no easy feat. While they dominated in 2019, sustained success isn’t easy. Especially with the loss of All-Pro right guard Marshal Yanda. The new additions could fail to open lanes for the Ravens’ running game, which in turn plummets the Ravens’ time of possession, leading them into tight contests where they find themselves on the receiving end of some last-second field goals.

NEW YORK GIANTS: 6 wins

The Eagles play them in Week 7 and Week 10. Explanations from Big Blue View:

Why over: The Giants won four games a year ago, and you can easily argue that coaching cost them two or three wins. If you believe they are better coached, they should have a better chance in close games. Daniel Jones should be better. Saquon Barkley is healthy. The defense has holes, but more depth.

Why under: The schedule is difficult. Joe Judge is a rookie head coach who didn’t have OTAs or preseason games to help him install his systems, a huge disadvantage. The roster is very young. The Giants are, really, starting over. Again.

DALLAS COWBOYS: 9.5 wins

The Eagles play them in Week 8 and Week 16. Explanations from Blogging The Boys:

Why over: It is expected that the Dallas Cowboys will have one of the better offenses in the NFL. Given that this is an offensive league, that should bode very well for them. They are returning plenty of players, added CeeDee Lamb, and Indiana Jones-swapped Jason Garrett for Mike McCarthy. Double digits should be easy.

Why under: There are generally bumps in the road during the first year of a new head coach and that is when global pandemics are not occurring. While there is a ton of optimism surrounding Mike McCarthy there simply might not have been enough time for things to properly gel.

CLEVELAND BROWNS: 8.5 wins

The Eagles will visit them in Week 11. Explanations from Dawgs By Nature:

Why over: The Browns only won six games last year despite what appeared to be a team ready to ascend. But after their poor showing, the pressure isn’t quite as intense and the team has upgraded over the offseason once again. The addition of Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. should give Baker Mayfield more time to distribute to a strong group of receivers while Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt make up one of the best duos in the league. Also, Cleveland will face eight teams that Vegas has winning under eight games on the year, giving them the third best schedule in terms of win totals.

Why under: The under will hit if Baker Mayfield can’t take a step forward this year. The team beefed up the offensive line, crammed the offense full of playmakers and continue to add high-level defensive players. At this point, Mayfield is either going to bring this team together for a good run or continue to flounder. If you bet on the under, you’re betting against Mayfield.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: 9.5 wins

The Eagles will host them in Week 12. Explanations from Field Gulls:

Why over: Well past history isn’t always useful for predicting future success, but the Seahawks have had at least 10 wins in seven of Russell Wilson’s eight seasons as starting quarterback. The passing offense is now the main function of the team after years of focusing on a dominant defense and punishing run game. Wilson is playing at an MVP level and has talented receiving options in Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and now the addition of veteran TE Greg Olsen. Seattle has vastly improved its secondary by trading for Quinton Dunbar and Jamal Adams, so while there may be valid concerns about the pass rush and the overall quality of the defensive line, the linebacker/secondary combo is among the tops in the NFL on paper. Oh yes, and that rushing game should still be potent with Chris Carson returning from injury and Carlos Hyde in support.

Why under: There are serious question marks regarding the offensive line — a new right tackle, a new center, a rookie right guard, and an aging Duane Brown at left tackle is not exactly anything resembling a cohesive unit or one that figures to be consistently good. Seahawks fans are used to seeing this out of their OLs in fairness, but that can’t hold up forever. Seattle’s run defense was a game-breaking liability last year and may still be an issue this year in addition to the pass rush. Last year’s team also benefited from a remarkably high number of close victories, and that can always turn against them such that even if the 2020 team is better than the 11-5 team of 2019, they may suffer come close defeats that render them 9-7 or worse. Lastly… injuries. If Russell Wilson’s durability finally cracks then the season is over, but we’ve seen one too many Seahawks seasons heavily affected by injuries to key players, and they aren’t a deep enough roster to withstand those this year.

GREEN BAY PACKERS: 8.5 wins

The Eagles will visit them in Week 13. Explanations from Acme Packing Company:

Why over: The Packers went 13-3 with a rookie head coach last year and returns 17 or 18 starters, depending on how you define the base personnel. Though they may have overachieved with that record relative to their point differential, a second-year improvement within Matt LaFleur’s offense and development of some young playmakers on both sides of the ball should be enough to keep them around double-digit wins. Oh, and that Aaron Rodgers guy showed he still has it in crunch time during last year’s Divisional Playoff win.

Why under: Perhaps no team has been due for a bigger regression than this Packers squad, which went 8-1 in one-score games a year ago. Taking that to a .500 record doesn’t get you under the 8.5 number, but consider that the defense also overperformed on third downs and was high up on the interceptions leaderboard, a stat that has lots of variance year-to-year. And sure, Rodgers can still pull magic out of a hat, but his numbers have been “merely” good for three years — not at Godgers level — and the team basically gave him no new receiving weapons in a draft that seemingly had talented wideouts in ample supply. A little slippage on defense and less-favorable results in close games could make this a .500 team.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: 10.5 wins

The Eagles will host them in Week 14. Explanations from Canal Street Chronicles:

Why over: The offensive was among the NFL’s best last year, and it is returning in almost its entirety for 2020. The major difference? The addition of wide receiver Emmanuel Saunders, who gives the Saints a legitimate #2 wide receiver, the likes of which the Saints haven’t had since Brandin Cooks was paired with 2019 Offensive Player of the Year Michael Thomas. Add in weapons like Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, Taysom Hill, one of the league’s best offensive lines, and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees at the helm, and you can see how this offense could be even more potent in 2020. The run defense has quietly been one of the better units in the NFL of late, and now, with a full season of Janoris Jenkins opposite 2017 Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore, and the pass defense - along with the return of Malcolm Jenkins - could make the Saints defense one of the under-the-radar stories of the season.

Why under: Drew Brees falls off a cliff and Sean Payton is hesitant to pull the trigger on replacing him with Jameis Winston. Also, the Saints have one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL this year, facing Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the ever-dangerous Atlanta Falcons twice in the NFC South. The Saints also have games against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, and their wild card rival Minnesota Vikings. A tough schedule and an aging quarterback are not typically a recipe for success.

ARIZONA CARDINALS: 7 wins

The Eagles will visit them in Week 15. Explanations from Revenge Of The Birds:

Why over: The Arizona Cardinals had a good offense in 2019, now they have DeAndre Hopkins and a full year in Kliff Kingsbury’s season. They spent all offseason beefing up a league worst defense. Now, they just need a decent defense and seven should be an easy bar to clear on 2020.

Why under: Kyler Murray stumbles in year two behind a bad offensive line, Kenyan Drake is a bust and Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is figured out. Also, the defense doesn’t get any better despite spending a ton to fix it.