Philadelphia at Atlanta

A pair of teams with new coaches in rebuilding mode square off here, but the Eagles are far better along. Philadelphia begins its second season with QB Jalen Hurts settled in as the starter. He has a talented target in rookie WR DeVonta Smith (Alabama), who is joining star TE Zach Ertz. All-Pro center Jason Kelce anchors an offensive line that is finally healthy after the 2020 Eagles were forced to use an NFL-record 14 different starting O-line combos in 16 games. Atlanta traded star WR Julio Jones as new head coach Arthur Smith has a lot of holes to fill. New defensive coordinator Dean Pees wants to blitz a lot, but that will be dangerous in Week 1 against a quarterback as mobile as Hurts. The Atlanta defense has been short on talent the last three years and still is. This unit ranked #28 in yards allowed, dead last against the pass (293.6 yards per game), and #15 in yards allowed per carry (4.4). Also, NFL favorites that had a losing record the previous season are 130-204 ATS in conference action. Play Philadelphia.