Eagles at Browns -- Week 1
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio (grass, outdoors)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Spread: Eagles by 8½ points
Forecast: Partly cloudy, temperatures in high 60s, chance of rain 10 percent.
2011 records: Eagles (8-8); Browns (4-12)
Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Dec. 15, 2008: Eagles 30, Browns 10; Oct. 24, 2004: Eagles 34, Browns 31 (OT). Series record: Browns hold 31-15-1 edge.
What matters: The Philadelphia Eagles want to put last year’s 8-8 season behind them, and they know they need to beat the weak Cleveland Browns to get their season off to a quick start, especially since the schedule gets much tougher in the next month with games against the Ravens, Giants and Steelers.
Who matters: The Eagles are looking for QB Michael Vick to bounce back from a subpar 2011 season and play more like he did in 2010, when he went to the Pro Bowl. On the other side of the ball, MLB DeMeco Ryans is expected to plug a big hole in the middle of the Eagles’ defense and provide some much-needed leadership.
Key matchups: Eagles DE Jason Babin vs. RT Mitchell Schwartz -- Babin looks strong and frisky after sitting out the preseason with a calf injury, and he’ll go against a rookie in Schwartz, a second-round pick from Cal. Babin will try all his tricks against the inexperienced Schwartz so they can harass another rookie, QB Brandon Weedon. MLB DeMeco Ryans vs. RB Trent Richardson -- The Browns want to run the ball to protect Weedon and the Eagles acquired Ryans to plug the hole in the middle of their defense.
Injury of note: WR Riley Cooper also missed the preseason, with a broken collarbone, meaning undrafted rookie Damaris Johnson will be the fourth WR.
Inside stuff: Jamar Chaney took reps as a nickel LB in practice this week, stepping in for Ryans alongside rookie Mychal Kendricks. This could mean the Eagles have decided that Ryans isn’t the three-down player they touted when they acquired him from the Texans in the offseason.
Connections: There are a ton of them, starting with Browns president Mike Holmgren, who was Andy Reid’s boss when both were in Green Bay. Plus Browns GM Tom Heckert had the same title with the Eagles (2006-2008), coach Pat Shurmur was an assistant under Reid with the Eagles (1999-2008), offensive coordinator Brad Childress was quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator (1999-2005), defensive coordinator Dick Jauron was an Eagles assistant (2011) and senior assistant Ray Rhodes was head coach of the Eagles from 1995-1998. And there are connections on the field, too, as the Browns’ roster has several ex-Eagles, including DE Juqua Parker, CB Sheldon Brown and CB Dimitri Patterson.
Stat you should know: In 13 seasons under coach Andy Reid, the Eagles have an overall record of 126-81-8 (.601 winning percentage), but they’re just 6-7 (.461) on opening day.
Looking ahead: The Eagles got off to a bad start (1-4) last season and that cost them the playoffs. They’ve vowed not to let that happen again, and with games against the Ravens, Giants and Steelers in the next month, they can’t afford to lose to the lowly Browns.
Prediction: Eagles 31, Browns 13
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSSportsNFLPHI.
