Eagles schedule: Reasonable expectations for Jonathan Gannon’s defense
Expect another top-ten finish for the Eagles’ defense at the end of the 2022-2023 NFL season.
Philly’s defense should get off to a great start in 2022. Week 1 features a road date with the Detroit Lions. They met during Week 8 a year ago. The result was a 44-6 victory. The Eagles’ defense allowed zero points during the first three quarters.
The Lions will be better in 2022, so it’s hard to guarantee an identical result. Still, if this one comes within striking distance of another six-sack outing, one where the Birds limited Detroit to 25 minutes of possession and a 35-percent conversion percentage on third down, no one is going to complain.
Playing a favorable schedule should help as well. Philadelphia’s opponents in 2022 combined for an overall record of 133-154-2. That’s a 46-percent winning percentage.
The Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers, and the Tennessee Titans rank among the more difficult challenges they’ll face. Fortunately, those contests occur at home in front of Eagles fans at Lincoln Financial Field. Some of Philly’s easier tasks are on the road, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans for instance. That should allow fans to rest a tad easier at night.
When the dust clears and smoke settles, here’s where we stand. The Birds took their lumps versus some of the game’s best quarterbacks a season ago, and they still wound up in the NFL’s top ten statistically. There are no excuses this time around.
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With everything Gannon has been given and with all of the coaching tools that we’re told he has at his disposal, remaining in the top ten and having a better year shouldn’t be too tall of an ask. Again, if this doesn’t work, it will all fall on the shoulders of the defensive coordinator. We’re about to learn if he’s truly worthy of a head-coaching job relatively quickly.