There have been few teams across the NFL that have had an offseason as good as the Philadelphia Eagles. A strong free agent group coupled with an excellent draft leads many fans of the birds to be highly optimistic heading into the 2022 season.
Per DraftKings, the Eagles have a win total of 8.5 for the 2022 season. You can get a free bet on the Eagles to win the NFC East by clicking the graphic below.
However, the Eagles have really struggled to meet the Vegas forecasts over the past decade.
With one of the easiest schedules on paper, there are many people who are hammering the over for Philly. Looking back at the last few years where they have an above .500 expected win total, it’s clear that they will need to buck the trend that the franchise has created over the past few years.
2011 – Expected Win Total: 10.5
Actual Wins: 8
One of the biggest letdowns in Eagles history. The 2011 “Dream Team” had massive expectations after free agent signings of Nnamdi Asomugha, DRC, Jason Babin and countless others. Instead the Eagles started 1-4 and couldn’t do enough at the end of the year to get into the postseason.
2012 – Expected Win Total: 10 Wins
Actual Wins: 4
The end of the Andy Reid era saw the franchise go from division favorites to one of the worst team’s in football. A plethora of injuries to their stars, a lack of depth, and some questionable coaching decisions ended up being the end of one of the greatest runs in Eagles history.
2015 – Expected Win Total: 9.5
Actual Wins: 7
Speaking of the end of an era, the Chip Kelly era lasted a grand total of three seasons. After hitting the over in wins in 2013 and 2014, Kelly was given ultimate control of the Eagles roster decisions and promptly threw most of them off the cliff. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy were either cut or traded for less talent and the 2015 season imploded well before it even began.
2018 – Expected win Total: 10.5
Actual Wins: 9
Not the worst time to hit the under. Coming off their magical Super Bowl run, the Eagles dealt with injuries to their secondary, running-back and QB position. Still, a late run by Nick Foles and some adjustments by Doug Pederson ended up getting the champs back into the playoffs with nine wins, a playoff win in Chicago and one potential drop from back-to-back NFC Title Game appearances.
2019 Expected win Total: 10
Actual Wins: 9
You could argue that 2018 was the start of a very mediocre run for the Eagles over the last five years. 2019 was no exception. Horrific receiving games from the Eagles WR’s, inconsistent QB play and another rash injuries really hampered the team’s success for most of the year. Another late run was lead by Carson Wentz but ended up losing in the first round of the playoffs.
2020 Expected Win Total: 9
Actual Wins: 4
It’s hard to argue which season was worse – the 2020 team or the 2012 team. Both years saw the team change coaches at the end of the year and ended up making the playoffs the very next season. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Eagles had a massive organizational restructure after the disaster that was the 2020 season.
The Eagles have hit the over on win totals plenty of times over the last decade as well. But it is very clear that if the Eagles are going to be taken seriously across the NFC, they will need to beat up on a weak paper on schedule. Will they hit the over? Only time will tell as we get closer to opening day.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
