It’s been 50 years since a team from the NFC lost a Super Bowl and got back to the big game the following year, but if one franchise is capable of ending that wait, it's this season’s Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles came within a whisker of lifting their second Vince Lombardi trophy last season, losing a thriller to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII.
Jalen Hurts nearly won his quarterback duel with Patrick Mahomes that night, and although he didn’t come away with the top prize, he did earn a $255 million, five-year extension from Philly.
Hurts has proven himself to be a top-level quarterback and with a league-leading defense on the other side of the ball, the Eagles are well set up for another deep playoff run in a top-heavy NFC.
Click here to read all NFL Season Outlooks for the 2023/24 season.
What | 2023/24 NFL Season |
When | September 8th, 2023 - February 11th, 2024 |
Philadelphia Eagles Odds | To win Super Bowl LVIII +800, to win the NFC +300, to win the NFC East -120 |
1st NFC (14-3). Lost Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Only three NFC teams feature in the top 10 of the Super Bowl LVIII betting; the Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with Philadelphia’s price of +800 the shortest amongst the trio.
As the odds suggest, it's a conference of few true contenders and Philly, a team that crushed the Niners in the conference decider last season, would be hugely disappointed if they didn’t at least make the NFC Championship game again.
Entering his fourth year in the league, there’s still plenty of room for Hurts to grow off the back of an MVP-level season.
He plays behind the highest-graded offensive line in the NFL, which remains largely untouched, and powers an offence that averaged nearly 30 points per game last season.
The offense also ranked top 10 for both average passing and rushing yards per game last year. Last summer they added wide receiver AJ Brown, who went on to break the franchise’s receiving record in his first year in Philadelphia.
This year the Eagles have added explosive running-backs D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny to their arsenal.
If the offense sounds impressive then how about a defense that amassed 78 sacks last season, the third-most in NFL history?
The defense has lost some pieces, most notably Javon Hargrave, but general manager Howie Roseman then went and drafted stud defensive talents Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith to plug those gaps.
On the surface, there are no weaknesses in this Eagles team and although they find themselves in the NFC’s most competitive division, they still look a cut above their rivals, ready to dominate on both sides of the ball once more.
After losing last season's Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles have the second-shortest odds to win it this season at +800.
The Eagles have the shortest odds to win the NFC East at -120 and to win the NFC at +300.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has the joint-fourth-shortest odds at the MVP award at +1100. He is at +2500 to lead the league in passing yards and +5000 to lead the league in passing touchdowns.
Wide receiver AJ Brown is +1000 to lead the league in receiving touchdowns, +1600 to lead the league in receiving yards, and +5000 to lead the league in receptions.
Edge rusher Haason Reddick has the fifth-shortest odds to lead the NFL in sacks at +1800, and he is +2800 to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter has the second-shortest odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at +700, while defensive end Nolan Smith has the eighth-shortest odds at +1800 for the same award.
The Eagles have the second-shortest odds at +650 to have the best regular season record, and they are +195 to win over 12.5 regular season games.
Philly’s first home game of the season against the Minnesota Vikings in Week Two is one of five prime-time games they are scheduled to play this season.
The Eagles have been paired with teams from the AFC East and NFC West this year and face a long trip to LA to play the Rams in Week Five before flying back across the country to take on the Jets in New York the following week.
From Week Nine, the Eagles face a tough stretch of games, taking on six playoff teams in their next seven matches, starting with a clash against the Dallas Cowboys.
After a bye week, they go to Kansas City for another Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs in Week 11 before hosting the Bills and 49ers in back-to-back weeks.
They end the regular season facing the New York Giants in two of their last three games with a trip to the Big Apple to come in Week 18.
Nick Sirianni has had to work to win over the highly-charged Philly fanbase but has made impressive progress, going from an awkward first press conference after his appointment to the Super Bowl.
A former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator and LA Chargers quarterback coach, Sirianni led the Eagles to a 9-8 record and a wild card berth in his first season at Lincoln Financial Field.
That was a good first year in charge and Sirianni, who has embraced Philly’s tough image, built on that success, kicking his offensive gameplan, which was branded unstoppable at times last year, into another gear.
Sirianni has been credited with the rapid rise of Hurts, putting him in a position to succeed and now seems firmly embedded as a fan favourite.
QB Marcus Mariota (Atlanta Falcons)
RB Rashaad Penny (Seattle Seahawks)
LB Nicholas Morrow (Chicago Bears)
WR Dan Arnold (Jacksonville Jaguars)
S Terrell Edmunds (Pittsburgh Steelers)
WR Olamide Zaccheaus (Atlanta Falcons)
RB D'Andre Swift (Detroit Lions)
CB Greedy Williams (Cleveland Browns)
Edge Kentavius Street (New Orleans Saints).
Edge Robert Quinn
IDL Javon Hargrave (San Francisco 49ers)
LG Isaac Seumalo (Pittsburgh Steelers)
LT Andre Dillard (Tennessee Titans)
LB Kyzir White (Arizona Cardinals)
IDL Linval Joseph IDL Ndamukong Suh
LB T.J. Edwards (Chicago Bears)
WR Zach Pascal (Arizona Cardinals)
RB Miles Sanders (Carolina Panthers)
S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson Jr (Detroit Lions)
QB Gardner Minshew (Indianapolis Colts).
Offensive MVP | Jalen Hurts |
Defensive MVP | Haason Reddick |
Top rookie | Jalen Carter (1st round) |
Breakout star | Nakobe Dean |
There can be few doubts that this is now Hurts’ offense after he proved himself to be a far more capable passer than previously given credit for, throwing for a career-high 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns.
He also managed to set the single-season record for rushing touchdowns for a quarterback, chalking up 15 in his coming out year. Amazingly, Haason Reddick didn't even make the top-three in the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year standings, despite a remarkable season.
On a stacked defense, Reddick still stood out, finishing tied second for most sacks (16) and joint-first for forced fumbles (five). Joining Reddick on the defensive line this year will be Georgia product Jalen Carter.
The Eagles were delighted to see him still on the board at number nine in round one and have snapped up a true disrupter in the run game that’s shown flashes of being able to get to the quarterback.
Another Georgia alumnii to watch out for on defense for the Eagles this year is linebacker Nakobe Dean.
With two key linebackers, T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, gone, Dean will see more playing time this season. He proved himself excellent as a run defender and blitzer in college and will now get the chance to show off their skills in the NFL.
Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.