Patriots have 5 advantages over the Eagles in week 1

Knowledge of Matt Patricia as a defensive coordinator

One of the primary concerns analysts and fans have discussed leading up to this game has been the presence of Matt Patricia on the Philadelphia sideline. It's a bit of an ironic take to have, considering not many positive things have been said about the former Patriots coach, even when he was the team's defensive coordinator.

Alas, he is being named as one of the reasons the Patriots don't stand a chance on Sunday. But why is that?

Patricia isn't the only one with knowledge of how people operate on the other side of the field. He worked in New England for the majority of his career in the NFL, working for and alongside Bill Belichick for all 16 years. He may know how the head coach works and can plan accordingly, but Belichick will have just as much intel into Patricia, equaling the odds between the teams.

The Eagles already had a good defense when Patricia was hired, and even those who aren't fans of him can (or at least should) admit that he was a good defensive coordinator with New England. He did help win three Super Bowls, after all.

But at the same time, Patricia's insight into the Patriots offense won't be nearly as helpful as it once was, with Bill O'Brien back in the building and so many new players on the offense; he won't have the ease of preparing for them the way he probably would if Josh McDaniels were still around.

It will inevitably remain a story between now and the game and, even more so, whatever the result ends up being, just as it was when the Patriots and Lions played each other when Patricia was the head coach in Detroit.

However, the situation is vastly different now. The knowledge from working together between Belichick and Patricia can benefit both teams, if not the Patriots more.