Road Favorites: Will Eagles Continue Hot Starts in Tricky Tom Brady Game?

After scoring a combined 70 points in road openers the last two seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles are favored over the New England Patriots in Week 1.

Philadelphia Eagles 26, New England Patriots 21?

Once upon a time in a dynasty, the prospect of traveling to Foxboro to play the New England Patriots was daunting. Bill Belichick still coaches the franchise with six Super Bowls, but the mystique - and Tom Brady - are long gone. The tables have so turned that these days the Eagles will go into Gillette Stadium in Week 1 as more-than-field-goal road favorites.

In the wake of last week's NFL schedule release, various oddsmakers have posted betting lines. Consensus predictions have the Eagles favored by 4-5 points, with a total of 46-47 in the Sept. 10 opener.

Philadelphia is the defending NFC champion, coming off a thrilling three-point loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and boosted by an NFL Draft haul - led by three Georgia defenders - that most experts lauded as the best in the league. The Eagles are loaded on both sides of the ball and are again the favorites to win their conference and play in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas in February.

Under coach Nick Sirianni the Eagles have bolted out of the gate with offensive outbursts on the road the last two seasons. In 2021 they routed the Falcons in Atlanta, 32-6, and last season set the stage for an 8-0 start by beating the Lions in Detroit, 38-35.

The Patriots went only 4-4 at home last season and are a humbling 25-25 since Brady left them after the 2019 season. New England missed the playoffs season at 8-9, and hasn't enjoyed a "signature" victory since Dec. 6, 2021 when it beat the Bills in that winter windstorm in Buffalo.

Still, with the Pats honoring Brady and the game being one of the hottest tickets in the NFL, it could be a tricky early test for the Eagles.

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