Philadelphia Eagles versus Washington: 5 Bold predictions for Week 1

1. The Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive line outshines the one from D.C.

All we’ve been hearing about over the course of this past week has been how stout the Washington pass rush is going to be with all of that talent and for good reason. You can spend a week talking about Montez Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan, and Chase Young, who hasn’t even played his first NFL snap yet, but Philly’s got some studs on the defensive line too.

Believe it or not, one of the weak links on this unit is the guy Philly put so much faith in, Derek Barnett, an we don’t even know if he’s going to play on Sunday. That means, if Vinny Curry is also out, the ‘Birds’ are going to be relying on the old man, Brandon Graham, and Josh Sweat on the outside. Based on what we’ve seen recently, Sweat might be okay.

Heck, who are we kidding? Sweat may go on to have a better career than Barnett does. It will be a shame if that happens, but it’s very possible.

The strength of this Eagles defense might be the interior, Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Hassan Ridgeway, and Javon Hargrave. The latter name in that quartet won’t be available Sunday, but the ‘Birds’ have enough to make life miserable for Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Is four sacks too much to ask for? We think not.