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The Philadelphia Eagles are starting their season with a big matchup against the Packers in Brazil. Eagles players are not thrilled about the trip, including Darius Slay, but coach Nick Sirianni says there are no issues. He spoke to the media about the trip and the team's attitude toward it, per Pro Football Talk.
“We’re going there to play and win a football game,” the Eagles coach told reporters. “That’s our goal. That’s our only goal as we go down there. And so, it’s just getting everybody in the right mindset of what you need to be when you go down there. You can control the things that you can control. Like, we’re going to Brazil to play. That’s what it is. We’re excited about that.”
While that is not the most convincing answer, there's no turning back now. According to Eagles.com, they are scheduled to fly down the Sao Paulo at 10 AM on Wednesday. Third-string quarterback Tanner McKee is excited about the trip and is hoping to change the opinions of his teammates.
“I think a lot of guys have questions about the safety and the culture,” McKee told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s easy for people to be scared about things they don’t know. It’s a completely different country that a lot of people haven’t visited and they’re going to speak a different language and the culture is going to be different. It makes sense to take precautions and things like that. We do that no matter what game we’re going to. I’m just telling the guys, I think everyone is going to be pleasantly surprised how nice everybody is down there and the culture and things like that.”
Eagles expectations for 2024
The Eagles are entering an important season in the careers of Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts. While the beginning of this season is in the spotlight now, it's hard to forget how last year ended. Philly was 10-1 heading into a game against the 49ers in Week 13. They lost that game and five more down the stretch to lose the division and lose in the Wild Card round.
Despite that brutal end and reports of division between Hurts and Sirianni, they are odds-on favorites in the NFC East, per Fanduel. The Eagles expect to be in the playoffs again after an early exit last year. Even without center Jason Kelce for the first time in a decade, they have a stout offensive line. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith represent one of the best top-two receiver pairs in the league. And Hurts has put together some great seasons early in his career.
When the Eagles come back from Brazil, they face a Monday Night game against the Falcons. It will not be a soft landing spot for their return, as Atlanta added Kirk Cousins and Matthew Judon this offseason.
If the Eagles start 0-2 or even 1-1, expect Sirianni to hear boos from the Philly faithful and have firing rumors swirling. They also could get off to a 2-0 start and represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. This is a season with high variance for the Eagles and it starts with a trip to Brazil that has already garnered conversation.
