Inside the Iggles
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NFL: Philadelphia Eagles meet NFC East rival Washington Redskins

By Regina Ham

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 11: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles shakes hands with head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins after the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 11, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Redskins defeated the Eagles 27-22. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 11: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles shakes hands with head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins after the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 11, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Redskins defeated the Eagles 27-22. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 11: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins and Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles embrace after the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 11, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 11: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins and Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles embrace after the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 11, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images) /

The “X Factor” for Philadelphia:

The key for the Eagles will be to get off to a quick start. Everyone who’s watched an Eagles game knows that the team, both defensively and offensively, is slow to get off the ground sometimes. The team was outscored 78-56 in the first quarter of games during the 2016 seaon. It’s not always an issue with the quarterback or the head coach. It’s the whole team working as slow as molasses.

History knows that if the team gets off to the fast start and puts some points on the board, they have a better chance of winning. Certain games the team played in either came down to a fumble (see the Detroit Lions game in 2016) or it was a demonstration of Philly getting themselves in a hole early and not being able to recover. Those overarching issues still begs to question. Is poor planning BEFORE the game is contributing to the slow starts?

A word from coach:

More from Inside the Iggles

Head coach Doug Pederson has made it known that execution continues to be the problem. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pederson was quoted as saying ” Sometimes what you see on film during the week is not necessarily what the defense presents you or the offense presents you on game day.”

Execution hasn’t come as easily as it seems Pederson hoped it would. New schemes take time, and hopefully the Eagles have taken that lesson to heart over the offseason. They’re facing challenges with new receivers and working with a significantly different defensive line, and Washington, if they paid attention, will know putting the Eagles in a deficit early will ensure a better chance of victory.

Next: Eagles versus Redskins: How to watch

If the Eagles have learned and adapted and show the signs of that early, 2017 may start off with a 1-0  record for “The Birds” in the NFC East.

Prediction: Eagles 21- Washington 17

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