I really don’t want to be a spoilsport, I swear, but I don’t think the Philadelphia Eagles will win their opening game Friday night against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil.

However, I expect the Eagles to go 13-4 this season, so I’m not saying a Week 1 loss—even a close one—will be their undoing.

I just think the Packers are an up-and-coming team, while the Birds are a little more uncertain.

Maybe I don’t give the Eagles enough credit. They’ve had a really encouraging summer in which the following things happened:

• The team remained (mostly) healthy
• Jalen Hurts looked better than ever
• New coordinators Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore showed some schematic wrinkles to inspire optimism
• Young players showed signs of improvement
• The mood was positive

Maybe the Eagles will make me look ridiculous if I pick against them at this point.

But after the way last season ended, I won’t blame myself for not giving them the full benefit of the doubt. Will anyone really be shocked if Jordan Love picks up where he left off last year and has success against this defense? Is it inconceivable that the coaching staff hasn’t completely solved all of its problems against the Lightning? Will Nick Sirianni definitely give his team an edge after failing to do so in his last coaching gig?

Let’s first look at a proof of concept.

For more information, see BGN’s weekly NFL game predictions.

Suggested format:

Result prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Result prediction: 27 to 24, Eagles lose.

Bold prediction: Jahan Dotson will score the Eagles’ first touchdown of the season.

Your predictions:

Leave your own result predictions in the comments.