New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles prediction, team news and preview – August 19 | NFL Preseason 2021

Week 2 of the 2021 NFL preseason kicks off Thursday night with a replay of Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles will look to score a victory in front of their home fans while the Patriots will want to keep the momentum going after beating the Washington Football Team last week.

Philadelphia head coach Nic Sirianni will be happy to have gotten his first NFL game in charge out of the way, so he can now focus on the team’s regular season preparation.

After the Steelers game, Sirianni told reporters:

“It felt like business as usual. I’ve just added a few titles.”

New England head coach Bill Belichick was his usual stoic self when describing the Pats' performance against Washington.

“Fundamentally I thought we made some progress, but we’ve still got a long way to go,” Belichick said.

So how will the two teams line up for Thursday night's game in Philadelphia?

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles: Team news

Once again, all eyes will be on the New England Patriots' quarterback battle between veteran Cam Newton and rookie Mac Jones.

Jones got his first taste of NFL action against Washington and showed he wasn’t overawed by the experience. He completed13 of 19 passes for 87 yards with no touchdowns.

Newton only had a short stint on the field last week, going four for seven and 49 yards.

It will be interesting to see if Belichick gives Newton more game time in Philadelphia. The Pats head coach is keeping his cards close to the chest in regards to who will start Week 1. After twice naming Newton as the Pats starter, he has refused to outright end the QB competition this preseason.

Making each other better. pic.twitter.com/qWA7pfxrEZ

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 17, 2021

The Philadelphia Eagles, meanwhile, had some good news this week with rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith returning to the practice field. Smith suffered a sprained MCL on August 1 and has missed every practice since.

Eagles coach Nic Sirianni has not committed to playing Smith in Thursday night’s clash with the Patriots, but he could see some action against the Falcons next week.

Starting QB Jalen Hurts featured only briefly against the Steelers and is unlikely to see extended game time this Thursday. Veteran playcaller Joe Flacco is set to take the majority of the snaps for the Eagles.

We’re here for the competition.#EaglesCamp | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/n70TDFxbd4

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 17, 2021

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles: Prediction

The Philadelphia Eagles don’t seem too concerned about winning this preseason. Head coach Nic Sirianni knows who his starting QB is and doesn’t want to risk Jalen Hurts getting injured before the real games start in September.

That's why I'm predicting another preseason win for the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

Mac Jones will be looking to show more improvement from his first NFL hit-out, while Cam Newton may have more opportunities against the Eagles.

Prediction: Patriots win in Philly, 21 - 17.