Kyle Carbone 
In this article we will be taking an in depth look at the Philadelphia Eagles 2020 preview.
Are the Philly Eagles Undervalued?
The NFC East Division Champion Eagles will look to build upon the successes of the 2019 season and take another step or more toward another Super Bowl appearance. The time is now for the Eagles, and despite a couple of head-scratching draft picks, are in position for a big season. The current ‘Wins Total Line’ is set at 9.5 wins at +110 on the DraftKings Sportbook, which is one better than they had in 2019. My studies show that they will win at least 11 games and maybe the most underrated team entering the 2020 season.
No doubt, the passionate Eagle fans were angry with the first-roundselection of WR Jalen Reagor from TCU. I did a head scratch of my own and waspuzzled why they did not grab LSU standout Justin Jefferson with that pick.Afterall, Reagor had a sub-par combine performance recording a 4.47 40-yarddash and 7.31 cone drill but did bench 225 pounds 17 times. Jefferson ran atouch fast and is 2 inches taller than the 5-11 Reagor.
Who in the World is Jalen Reagor
Every once in a while, the lightbulb goes off in my head,and I suddenly realized that speed is what the Eagles have sorely missed inrecent seasons. The speed at the WR position stretches a defense vertically andgives the ground attack a much better chance to succeed on early downs. VeteranWR DeSean Jackson was that speed guy, and the offense was far superior to himon the field that when he was injured and not.
It was reported that the Eagles were aggressive to acquireWR Stefon Diggs, but lost the bid to the Buffalo Bills. So, they were making afocused effort to give QB Carson Wentz elite athletes to throw the ball to inspace and have much higher big-play potential on any down. They ended up withReagor, and I now believe this will turn out to be an excellent first-roundpick that will be contributing immediately to the Eagles season.
After the combine, Reagor was hand-timed at 4.19 in the 40.I do not care if it was hand-timed or not. That is fast period, and they use atleast three watches to get an average time. Even 4.25 is light-years from the4.47 he ran at the combine. Simply put, the Eagles may have gotten the fastestWR in the draft and combined with the three other rookie WR weapons and thetrade for former 49er Marquis Goodwin have transformed themselves into thefastest and scariest offense in the NFC East. Goodwin has missed 12 games overthe last two seasons but ran a blistering 4.27 in the 2013 combine.
There is more. In the 5th Round, the Eagles selected BoiseState’s John Hightower with the 168th pick overall. He ran a 4.43 40time and is 6-1 and more physical with 50-50 balls than his 190-pound framewould indicate.
In the 6th Round, they got on of the best‘steals’ in the draft in Southern Mississippi’s Quez Watkins with the 200thoverall pick in the draft. He recorded the third-fastest 40-time among WR atthe combine with a blazing 4.35 and is 6-0 and 185-pounds. His potential isendless and has the deceptive abilities to get a defender to bite on a routeand then be suddenly behind the defense for big-play potential.
The Eagles Pass Blocking Must Improve
QB Carson Wentz was under constant pressure ranking 20thwith only 2.3 seconds of pocket time, blitz 284 times ranking 11thmost, hurried 67 times ranking second-most, and hit 53 times ranking ninth-mostin the NFL last season. The offense used play-action pass 171 times rankingsecond only to the Jared Goff of the Rams, who threw 194 passes out ofplay-action.
The Eagles offense had minimal opportunity to exploit adefense with vertical routes. Wentz ranked 27th throwing 131 passesbetween 11 and 20 yards and completed 68 for 57% completions and 1,242 yards. Bycomparison, there were seven NFL starting QB’s that posted a 70% or bettercompletion percentage in this category. Furthermore, he ranked 29thin passes thrown 21 or more yards completing just 41% or 17 completions of the59 passes thrown.
Having the ‘new’ speed on the perimeter has to improve thesenumbers from last season. Wentz is deceptively elusive, and these WR will havethat extra split second to get behind a defender or gain an extra yard ofseparation, creating big-play opportunities.
How Many Games Will the Eagles Win?
I see the Eagles winning at least 11 games in the NFC Least(Sorry, had to write it) and potentially as many as 13. This is Wentz’sdefining season as he will have more athletes to throw the ball to than in anyof his years as a professional.
The Eagles will play six divisional games and favored in allof them, except being a slight underdog when they visit Dallas for the secondtime on December 27. They start the season on the road with the WashingtonRedskins, who will be better than in recent seasons, but still a team theEagles will dominate. The NY Giants are a mess, and the Eagles will be favoredby at least six points when they host them in Week 7, October 22. In week 10,the Eagles will travel to the Meadowlands, where I expect them to be installedas a minimum 4.5-point favorite. So, the Eagles record against divisionalopponents will be 5-1 SU.
As bold as it sounds, they could go a perfect 6-0against-the-spread if my vision of their offense comes together. The Giantsdefense ranked 28th allowing an average of 7.1 net yards per passattempt. The Redskins ranked 20th allowing 6.5 net yards-per-attemptand Dallas a more impressive 10th rank allowing 5.9net-yards-per-pass-attempt. So, with the elite speed at the skill positions andhave the sure-handed TE Zach Ertz, it is easier to see the potential for theEagles to sweep the division ATS.
How will the Eagles Do in the Non-Divisional Games?
It is a must for the Eagles to get out of the gate quicklyto start the season as the toughest portion comes in the second half startingin week 12 when they host the Seattle Seahawks, and in a game, they will beinstalled as no more than a 3-point favorite. They then turn right around totravel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers and will be three or morepoint underdogs. The third straight game of this gauntlet will be at home takingon the always-excellent New Orleans Saints in a game I see as a pick. So, overtheir last seven non-divisional games, they will be in matchups with bettinglines between -3 and +3.
Eagles start 3-0 with wins over the Redskins, Rams, andBengals. In Week-4, they lose at the 49ers. In Week-5, the first of severalseason-defining games when they travel to state-rival Pittsburgh and theSteelers. Eagles defeat the Steelers and begin to show the offensive power andspeed to the NFL world. Wait a minute, in Week-6 they host the power-houseBaltimore Ravens and a massive ground attack that will put pressure on theEagles defense. Ok, so the Eagles must earn at least a split of the Steelersand Ravens games. Eagles are 4-2 heading into the easiest part of the seasonfacing the Giants, Cowboys, Giants, and Browns in Weeks 7 through 11, includinga BYE in Week 9. Entering the gauntlet in Week 12, I see the Eagles now 8-2 andon a strong four-game win streak.
So, at this point, they need to go 3-3 over the remainingsix games to win the ‘OVER’ 10-wins bet. So, the three wins would undoubtedlyinclude the Redskins in the season finale and then two wins among the Seahawks,Packers, Saints, Cardinals, and Cowboys in Weeks 12 through 16, respectively.In all of these games, the line will be between -3.5 and +3.5. The Eagles are1-7-1 ATS against non-divisional foes over the last two seasons. As bad as thismark is, it is a contrary indicator as winning records teams coming offback-to-back poor records do very well ATS.
The Eagles are a solid 13-6 ATS with a 62% or better winrecord and facing non-divisional opponents over the last three seasons. Plus,an eye-opening 10-2 ATS mark when at home with a 62% or better win percentageand facing a non-divisional opponent; 9-5 ATS after Week 8. Looking at SUrecord, note that head coach Doug Pederson is a robust 7-2 as a home favoriteagainst a conference foe in the second half of the regular season. Thatsupports wins over the three-headed conference monster foes. So, yes, I do seethem winning three or more of their last six games and reaching 11 wins for theseason.
Speed is the theme, and the immense need to translate to the field of play for the Eagles to win 11 or more games, and I believe they can. Make sure to place your bet on DraftKings Sportsbook!
I hope you enjoyed this article and be sure to check out all of the other fantastic Win Daily Sports articles too. I can be found on Twitter @JohnRyanSports1 and I welcome any and all comments. Please join me on the Free Discord Chat. See you soon.
