Eagles versus Patriots: Intriguing early subplots surrounding Tom Brady appreciation day at New England

We're getting there! We have officially turned the page from August to September. That means the NFL's first regular season game is less than a week away which also means we'd then be one step closer to the Philadelphia Eagles' first game in Foxborough versus the New England Patriots on Sunday, September 10th.

Fear not friends. You have plenty of time to digest some college football during the next two weeks. You can also use the early games on Sunday as tune-ups as the Birds and Pats won't kick off until 4:25 p.m. EST. Make no mistake about it though. You can expect every Birds fan to find their way in front of a television for that one.

Here are a few early storylines to keep in the back of your mind as we near the Eagles' regular-season opener.

This one has all the ingredients for a thriller. It features two of the NFL's most popular teams. There's a legendary coach on one sideline and a legitimate MVP candidate playing quarterback on the other.

We asked around. So far, there have been no reports of any unidentified drones bearing the Patriots' logo hovering over the NovaCare Complex. We will, however, let you know if there are any updates on that front.

Okay, maybe that was low. We apologize... sort of... Let's get into some early subplots as the game as the attention shifts to Week 1's game.

It's Tom Brady Day, and only the Patriots are celebrating.

Yeah... We watched Tom Brady take victory lap after victory lap for two decades in Foxborough. We don't need another reminder of his brilliance as our favorite shot of the G.O.A.T. will always be him sitting on the turf staring off into the opposite direction after Brandon Graham got home with a pressure to force the greatest strip-sack in NFL history.

Bill Belichick is 16-7 in 23 Week 1 regular-season game openers. Nick Sirianni is perfect in his first two attempts.

Well, in the end, we settled the 'Who was more responsible for the New England Patriots' success?' argument. Sure, Bill Belichick is a genius, but he looked pedestrian as a head coach before Tom Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe, and he has looked mortal since TB12 bounced and took his talents to Tampa, Florida.

His resume evokes jealousy, as it should. He's still rather crafty when given time to prepare. He has won 16 of his 23 Week 1 openers. Eight of those 16 wins have come by double-digit margins. This won't be a walk in the park, but here's something to hang those hats on.

Nick Sirianni is 2-0 in regular-season openers. He'll also be favored in this one.

Jalen Hurts was 14-1 as a starter during regular-season games during the 2022-2023 campaign.

Philly has found its franchise quarterback. Jalen Hurts says all of the right things. His work ethic is off of the charts. He is obsessed with winning.

The Birds haven't lost often when he has been their starting quarterback. They were 14-1 with him in the lineup during regular-season games last season. He was 16-2 overall. This after posting an 8-7 win-loss total in 2021 before Philly lost its Wild Card Game to the aforementioned Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Patriots gave up 20.4 points per game in 2022.

No one should be shocked that a Bill Belichick-led team is well-coached. That should again be the Pats' story in 2023. The last time we saw New England, they finished the regular season ranked eighth in yards per game and gave up 20.4 points per contest. That was good for an 11th-place finish.

Philly will be given opportunities to make something happen on offense. They'll need to do so when given chances, but when the smoke clears and the dust settles, they're the better team. With that being said, we're expecting an Eagles win on Tom Brady appreciation day, one we think will come by a double-digit margin.

Check out these other Eagles stories as well.