Credit a critically-acclaimed draft haul, plus a savvy slog through free agency for increased expectations. The Philadelphia Eagles were given the best odds of reaching the Super Bowl in 2023, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.
Nick Sirianni’s squad was staked at 13% which is a full percentage point higher than the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (12%). It’s an even more impressive vote of confidence when you scroll down and see that Philly is slotted third in the overall rankings behind Kansas City and Buffalo.
That means the power brokers at ESPN see the Eagles as the team most likely to take advantage of their softer schedule and exploit an easier path to the Super Bowl since they are coming out of what is generally perceived as a weaker NFC conference. That’s the belief among the talking heads anyway.
Seth Walder of ESPN Analytics broke it down:
The median AFC playoff team in our simulations is roughly 2.4 points per game better than the median NFC playoff team. That’s a big reason Philadelphia leads Kansas City in Super Bowl chances, 14% to 13%. The Chiefs also face quite the gauntlet of a schedule in the regular season — second toughest in the league, according to FPI — which dampens their projections despite being the best team in football by almost a full point. The 49ers, Bills and Bengals round out the top five, while the Dallas Cowboys are the only other team above 5% (7%).
Whatever the reasoning, prognosticators are locking the Eagles in for a repeat trip to the biggest game of the year. And, hopefully, they hoist the Lombardi Trophy this time. It’s certainly nice to be considered the favorite.
Eagles Single-Game Tickets Hit Ticketmaster on June 13
Save the date. The Eagles will put single-game tickets for all 10 regular-season contests on sale starting at 10 a.m. on June 13 via Ticketmaster (click here for access). Seats tend to sell out in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds — and impatient fans can expect to get lost in the Ticketmaster “queue of death” — as soon as the clock ticks up from 9:59 a.m. There is a four-ticket limit per household. No exceptions.
In addition to regular-season games, the Eagles will be selling tickets for their only public practice at Lincoln Financial Field on August 6 at 7 p.m. Those are priced at $10, with a chance to upgrade to a $35 VIP ticket that will provide fans with a special on-field experience before the start of practice. All proceeds will benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation and its mission to fund innovative autism research and care programs.
Nick Sirianni Delivers Farewell Message to Eagles
Head coach Nick Sirianni broke Eagles OTAs on June 8 with two important messages before sending his players home for six weeks of freedom. He instructed everyone to come back to training camp in “great shape” and to “stay out of the news.”
“You want them to come back in great shape, and you want them to make sure they’re doing the right things off the field,” Sirianni told reporters. “But those would be the main two things that I’m going to say after practice would be to come back in the best shape of your life and make sure we’re doing the right things to stay out of the news.”
The team reports for training camp on July 25 at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia. The first home preseason game is slated for August 17 at 7:30 p.m. against Cleveland.
AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez
