Philadelphia Eagles will beat Washington Redskins because history says so
The Eagles will beat the Redskins to begin the season, reason simply because the Redskins are still, well, the Redskins.
The Philadelphia Eagles have trimmed their roster down to the NFL limit of 53 players, and with that development, it’s time to begin the 2017 regular season.
The league never shies away from division matchups to start the season, and this year is no exception for the Eagles. Despite that fact, this season marks the first time the Eagles have opened against an NFC East rival since 2013 when they met, of all teams, the Washington Redskins.
A brief history lesson:
In the opener four years ago, Philly was able to hold on for a 33-27 win at FedEx Field. Eagles fans are hoping for a similar outcome n this one. With a victory, Philadelphia would possess an all-time record of 75-85 against their foes from the nation’s capital.
No, there’s no single reason to expect a victory on Sunday. Any number of reasons or theories would suffice, but here’s a big one: Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
Since purchasing the Redskins in 1999, this franchise has been utterly deplorable in most respects. I’m never a believer that history means much in today’s watered-down and ever-changing circus of professional football, but there are some things worth pointing out.
Philadelphia Eagles
Snyder bought the Redskins and their new stadium following the death of former Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke for $800 million. In the eyes of some, that was the day this historic franchise died.
Washington won the NFC East in 1999. They’ve only won the division twice since Y2K.
Washington’s division title in 2015 came with a paltry 9-7 record, which might not have even meant a Wildcard playoff berth had the Dallas Cowboys had a quarterback that season. As it stood, the ‘Skins fell to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 35-18 despite the fact that they were hosting the game.
Their other division title came three seasons earlier in 2012. That partially came courtesy of a ‘one hit wonder’ by the name of Robert Griffin III, who led the Redskins to a 10-6 record and subsequent Wildcard Playoff loss to the surging Seattle Seahawks in a game that foreshadowed things to come in the Pacific Northwest.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia:
It’s been a different millenium for the Eagles. There’s been repeated trips to the NFC Championship Game, a Super Bowl appearance in 2004 and seven division titles since the year 2000. The Eagles were the last team to win successive division championships, and that still speaks volumes about how different these two franchises have performed over what’s almost been 20 years.
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It appears the Eagles are a little more stable as head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz are unquestionably being given the opportunity to be the cornerstones of the future in Philadelphia. Would anybody be surprised if Snyder fired the entire coaching staff in Washington and started over without quarterback Kirk Cousins next season? After all, no one’s promised longevity in the NFL. In the case of the Redskins however, leashes are shorter than normal more often than not.
Predictions will come in droves later this week, but taking the Philadelphia Eagles in a close win at FedEx Field in week one of the NFL season is as safe a bet as any.