When it comes to trying new, exciting cuisine, few foods hit the spot like a deliciously fresh Mediterranean meal. However, we know that it can be very difficult to find authentic Mediterranean grocery wholesalers in Philadelphia, PA. Having lived in metro Atlanta for years, we realized that our customers needed an easy way to find quality wholesale Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in bulk. That is why we created Nazareth Grocery Mediterranean Market - to give everyone a chance to enjoy tasty, healthy food, desserts, and authentic Mediterranean gifts at wholesale prices.
Founded in 2009, Nazareth Grocery has become one of Philadelphia's leading international wholesale grocery stores. We are very proud to serve our customers and do everything in our power to give them the largest selection of high-quality wholesale goods available.
If you're looking for the freshest, most delicious Middle Eastern wholesale products and ingredients, you will find them here at the best prices in the state. We encourage you to swing by our store in Marietta to see our selection for yourself. We think that you will be impressed!
At Nazareth Grocery Mediterranean Market, our mission is simple: bring you and your family the largest selection of wholesale Mediterranean products in Philadelphia. When coupled with our helpful, friendly staff and authentic Middle Eastern atmosphere, it's easy to see why we are the top Middle Eastern grocery wholesaler in Philadelphia, PA. We're proud to carry just about every kind of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern product that you can think of, from prepared meals and hookahs to fine seasonings and sweets. We're here for our customers and want each one of them to have a unique, one-of-a-kind experience when they shop with us.
Our loyal customers love our selection of the following wholesale foods and gifts:
There is so much more to Mediterranean food than pizza and pasta. The perfect climate combined with delicious foods and amazing wine makes the Mediterranean incredibly irresistible. That's why our customers absolutely love to buy this kind of cuisine in bulk. Every country in this region has its own set of specialties and delicacies, each with its own flavors and styles of preparation.
Mediterranean countries include:
So, when it comes to the most popular wholesale Mediterranean products in Philadelphia,
what are we talking about?
Feta cheese is a classic Mediterranean dairy product that is often enjoyed on its own, in Greek salads, on bread, or mixed with zucchini. Depending on where the feta is sourced and produced, the cheese can be made from cow, sheep, or goat milk, or even a combination of the three. Regardless of the animal it comes from, this delicious cheese is a crowd favorite.
This Levantine dish is one of the most well-known Mediterranean dishes to eat in the United States. It typically comes in the form of a dip, served with pita or another kind of dipping bread. Commonly served before dinner as an appetizer of sorts, it usually features tahini, eggplant, garlic, spices, and sometimes yogurt. This tasty cuisine works great as a spread on a sandwich, or you can even eat it with a spoon, all on its own.
If you have never tried authentic baklava before, get ready to have your mind blown. This dessert is a traditional Mediterranean food that will have your taste buds craving more and more. Once you open a box of baklava from our Mediterranean grocery wholesaler in Philadelphia, PA, you won't want to stop eating! Baklava is made with layers of thin filo dough, which is layered together, filled with chopped nuts (think pistachios), and sealed with honey or syrup. Baklava is so good that its origins are debated, leaving many wondering which country invented the dessert. Everyone from the Turks to the Greeks and even Middle Easterners hold unique takes on baklava. Try each one to discover your favorite!
Fresh, healthy, aromatic, rich: it's no wonder that the popularity of Middle Eastern cuisine and products has skyrocketed in the United States. This genre of cuisine features a large variety of foods, from Halvah to Labneh. If there were one common theme throughout all Middle Eastern food, it would be the bright, vibrant herbs and spices that are used. These flavorings help create rich, complex flavors that foodies fawn over. Typically, Middle Eastern food is piled high for all to eat, with enough food for an entire republic to put down.
This refreshing, healthy dish is chock-full of greens, herbs, tomatoes, and bulgur (or cracked wheat), creating a memorable, bold flavor. This dish may be eaten on its own or paired with a shawarma sandwich or helping of falafel. It's best to buy your ingredients in bulk to make this dish because it tastes best freshly made with family around to enjoy. Just be sure to bring a toothpick to the tabbouleh party - you're almost certain to have some leafy greens stuck in your teeth after eating.
We mentioned shawarma above, and for good reason - this dish is enjoyed by men and women around the world, and of course, right here in the U.S. Except for falafel, this might be the most popular Middle Eastern food item in history. Shawarma is kind of like a Greek gyro, with slow-roasted meat stuffed in laffa with veggies and sauce. The blend of spices and the smoky meat mix together to create a tangy, meaty flavor that you will want to keep eating for hours. For western-style shawarma, try using beef or chicken. For a more traditional meal, try using lamb from our Middle Eastern grocery distributor in Philadelphia, PA.
Traditionally used as a dip meant for fresh pita, hummus is a combo of chickpeas, garlic, and tahini, blended together until silky, smooth, and creamy. You can find hummus in just about any appetizer section of a Middle Eastern restaurant menu. That's because it's considered a staple of Middle Eastern food that can be enjoyed by itself, as a spread, or with fresh-baked pita bread. Hummus is also very healthy, making it a no-brainer purchase from our grocery store.
If there's one diet that is most well-known for its health benefits, it has got to be the Mediterranean diet. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report listed the Mediterranean diet as No. 1 on its best over diet list. This incredible diet has been cited to help with weight loss, brain health, heart health, diabetes prevention, and cancer prevention.
Whether you already love Mediterranean food or you're looking to make some positive changes in your life, this "diet" is for you. Eating cuisine like Greek food, Persian food, Turkish food, and Italian food is healthy and tastes great. Even better than that? At Nazareth Wholesale Grocery, we have many staples of the Mediterranean diet for sale in bulk so that you can stock up on your favorites at the best prices around.
So, what exactly is the Mediterranean diet?
It is a way of eating that incorporates traditional Greek, Italian, and other Mediterranean cultures' foods. These foods are often plant-based and make up the foundation of the diet, along with olive oil. Fish, seafood, dairy, and poultry are also included in moderation. Red meat and sweets are only eaten in moderation, not in abundance. Mediterranean food includes many forms of nuts, fruits, vegetables, fish, seeds, and more. Of course, you can find at them all at our wholesale Mediterranean grocery store!
Here are just a few of the many benefits of eating a healthy Mediterranean diet:
Many studies have been conducted on this diet, many of which report that Mediterranean food is excellent for your heart. Some of the most promising evidence comes from a randomized clinical trial published in 2013. For about five years, researchers followed 7,000 men and women around the country of Spain. These people had type 2 diabetes or were at a high risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants in the study who ate an unrestricted Mediterranean diet with nuts and extra-virgin olive oil were shown to have a 30% lower risk of heart events.
In addition to the heart-healthy benefits of a Mediterranean diet, studies have shown that eating healthy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods can reduce the chances of stroke in women. The study was conducted in the U.K., which included women between the ages of 40 and 77. Women who stuck to the Mediterranean diet showed a lower risk of having a stroke - especially women who were at high risk of having one.
First and foremost, purchase your Mediterranean and Middle Eastern wholesale foods from Nazareth Grocery - we're always updating our inventory! Getting started on this healthy, delicious diet is easy.
1.
Instead of unhealthy sweets like candy and ice cream, try eating fresh fruit instead. It's refreshing, tasty, and often packed with great vitamins and nutrients.
2.
Try eating fish twice a week, in lieu of red meat. Fish is much healthier and doesn't have the unfortunate side effects of red meat, like inflammation.
3.
Try planning out your meals using beans, whole grains, and veggies. Don't start with meats and sweets.
4.
They're tasty, but try to avoid processed foods completely.
5.
Instead of using butter to flavor your food, use extra virgin olive oil instead. Olive oil contains healthy fats and tastes great too.
6.
Try to get more exercise and get out of the house. The Mediterranean lifestyle is an active one, best enjoyed in the beautiful sunshine when possible.
Buying wholesale and retail are quite different. When you buy products from a wholesaler, you're essentially buying from the middleman between a retail establishment and the manufacturer. Wholesale purchases are almost always made in bulk. Because of that, buyers pay a discounted price. That's great for normal buyers and great for business owners, who can sell those products to profit. This higher price is called the retail price, and it is what traditional customers pay when they enter a retail store.
Free EstimateThe Phillies will be missing a familiar voice when they finish up their series against the Miami Marlins this weekend at Citizens Bank ParkTom McCarthy, in his 14th season as the team’s television voice on NBC Sports Philadelphia (and five years before that on the radio), was in the booth Friday night to call the ...
The Phillies will be missing a familiar voice when they finish up their series against the Miami Marlins this weekend at Citizens Bank Park
Tom McCarthy, in his 14th season as the team’s television voice on NBC Sports Philadelphia (and five years before that on the radio), was in the booth Friday night to call the Phillies’ 3-2 loss to the Marlins.
But McCarthy won’t be calling Saturday’s or Sunday’s game. That’s because he’ll be on CBS broadcasting the NFL Week 1 matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, which happens to be the Denver coaching debut of Sean Payton.
“It’s baseball season, and these are important games, so I try to limit the amount of misses that I have,” McCarthy told The Inquirer. “CBS is great about letting me go out the day before.”
Replacing McCarthy in the booth on NBC Sports Philadelphia will be longtime Phillies radio announcer Scott Franzke, who also filled in for McCarthy last year when the NFL came calling. Calling this weekend’s game alongside Franzke will be analyst Rubén Amaro Jr., the former Phillies general manager in his second season calling games on the network.
Over on 94.1 WIP, pre- and postgame host Gregg Murphy also will handle play-by-play alongside Kevin Stocker, a former Phillies shortstop who took over as the team’s main radio analyst this season as Larry Andersen has reduced his workload in recent years.
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“The great thing is we have a lot of talented guys that are broadcasting the Phillies, and we’re all very good friends,” McCarthy said. “Even Kevin Stocker, who is basically full-time with us, he kind of fits like a glove with all the antics we do together. We’re really fortunate.”
CBS has also tabbed McCarthy to call the Week 2 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans on Sept. 17, an assignment that will cause him to miss two more games during the Phillies’ series against the St. Louis Cardinals that weekend at Busch Stadium. He’ll also miss the Phillies’ Sept. 23 game against the New York Mets because he’ll be calling a college football game for CBS that Saturday.
“I think the grind makes me sharper because it keeps my mind moving more and more,” McCarthy said. “I get bored very easy. My kids are all older, my wife teaches, so, for me, doing games and preparing for games really does keep me rolling.”
This is McCarthy’s 10th season calling NFL games, and this year he’s paired with Hall of Famer James Lofton and former NFL kicker Jay Feely. He has experience working with both — he’s called a handful of NFL games on radio with Lofton and was partnered with Feely for two seasons at CBS. Tiffany Blackmon will handle the broadcast’s sideline reporting.
McCarthy still holds the distinction of being the only play-by-play announcer other than Jim Nantz to call a game with Tony Romo, which he did in 2021 when Nantz tested positive for COVID-19. Nantz and Romo will be in the booth Sunday to call the Eagles’ season opener against the New England Patriots.
“He’s a normal dude who just loves the game,” McCarthy said of Romo after they called a game together. “His knowledge of the game is phenomenal. His recall is kind of like [John] Kruk’s recall, where he just remembers things that I wouldn’t ever be able to remember.”
The Eagles are only scheduled to play on CBS twice this season, and Nantz and Romo are slated to call both games. While McCarthy has never worked an Eagles game on TV for CBS, he was able to call the Birds’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 on radio for Westwood One alongside NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski.
“I’m really lucky to work for the organizations that I work for, that they give me an opportunity to do this,” McCarthy said.
» READ MORE: Tony Romo loves Jalen Hurts, but he’s really been impressed by Eagles owner Jeff Lurie
Phillies fans aren’t out of the streaming woods yet.
The team is scheduled to play the next two Friday’s on Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball package — Sept. 15 against the Cardinals and Sept. 22 against the New York Mets.
Apple hasn’t yet announced the broadcast team for either game. The tech giant streams two games each Friday and has two announcing duos — Wayne Randazzo with Dontrelle Willis, and Alex Faust with Ryan Spilborghs. Heidi Watney — the inspiration for Matt Damon’s character’s name in The Martian — and Tricia Whitaker are Apple TV+’s sideline reporters.
If you don’t feel like shelling out the $6.99 a month for Apple TV+ (there is seven-day free trial), you can listen to the games on 94.1 WIP. You also can switch to WIP’s audio while streaming the game on Apple TV+, a cool new addition for broadcasts this season.
There’s also a workaround. Thanks to Apple’s deal with DirecTV, the Phillies games will air at bars and restaurants that already use the satellite service. You just have to shell out for the beer.
» READ MORE: ‘It was eating me up’: How the Phillies’ 2022 playoff run has impacted their playoff push in 2023
Cristopher Sanchez had allowed just four hits through five scoreless innings when he was pulled by Rob Thomson at 82 pitches Friday night.It wasn't a stunning managerial decision — Sanchez has been lifted after five innings in four of his last 12 starts and faced 20 batters as opposed to his season average of 21 — but it sure stood out 10 minutes later when Seranthony Dominguez allowed a two-out, game-tying home run to pinch-hitter Jesus Sanchez.The Marlins took a lead the next inning when light-hitting catcher Jaco...
Cristopher Sanchez had allowed just four hits through five scoreless innings when he was pulled by Rob Thomson at 82 pitches Friday night.
It wasn't a stunning managerial decision — Sanchez has been lifted after five innings in four of his last 12 starts and faced 20 batters as opposed to his season average of 21 — but it sure stood out 10 minutes later when Seranthony Dominguez allowed a two-out, game-tying home run to pinch-hitter Jesus Sanchez.
The Marlins took a lead the next inning when light-hitting catcher Jacob Stallings homered off of Matt Strahm and the Phillies were unable to come back in a 3-2 loss.
Thomson explained that he wanted Dominguez to face right-handed-hitting Jake Burger, who has 31 bombs on the season and doubled off Sanchez in the first inning.
"If we would have added on in the fifth, I probably would have sent him back out," Thomson said. "I'm not concerned but I'm monitoring (his workload) because I don't want to put him in harm's way."
Sanchez is about 30 innings past his prior career high. He gave the standard answer when asked if he was surprised to be removed early, saying he respected the decision.
Asked how much he felt he had left in the tank, Sanchez didn't hesitate. "Muchismo," he said. A lot more.
It wasn't as if Sanchez had encountered trouble just before his exit Friday. He retired the final five Marlins he faced with a strikeout and four groundouts. Thomson's decision, though, was not the only reason the Phillies lost. The 4-through-9 hitters went 1-for-21 with two walks.
The Phillies missed an opportunity to gain a game on the Cubs, who were shut out earlier in the day by the Diamondbacks. The Phils are 77-63 with 22 games left. They lead the Cubs by two games for the top National League wild-card spot and also have the head-to-head tiebreaker, so the lead is essentially three games.
Sanchez has a 3.26 ERA in 15 starts and has allowed more than three earned runs once. He will make another turn in the Phillies' rotation next Wednesday at home against the Braves. The Phils have a doubleheader Monday with Atlanta so they'll utilize the six-man rotation one more time before regrouping during next Thursday's off-day and charting a path from there.
Dominguez (seven blown saves) has had a rocky season but had rattled off seven straight scoreless appearances prior to Friday. It was the first home run he's allowed since July 30 in Pittsburgh.
Earlier in the night, the story looked like Trea Turner, who returned from paternity leave and picked up right where he left off after missing two games. He continued his torrid stretch of more than a month with a first-inning home run. He fell behind 0-2, then sent an 86 mph slider from Eury Perez into the left-field seats for his 23rd home run of the season.
"It was cool," Turner said. "I tend to not think about those things in the moment but Rhys (Hoskins) was like, 'Don't you want that ball?' Probably a good idea. So I traded a couple autographis for it, pretty cool moment. I’m just happy I put a good swing on it."
Two innings later, Turner manufactured a run by walking with two outs, stealing second base and scoring on Bryce Harper's bloop to shallow center. He singled again in the fifth inning.
Turner, who's hit .383 since August 5 with 13 homers, 25 extra-base hits and 33 RBI in 28 games, came up in a big spot in the bottom of the seventh with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. He struck out swinging. Bryce Harper walked to load the bases and Nick Castellanos grounded out on the first pitch to end that threat.
"A lot of travel, but everybody’s healthy and home and good and that’s all you can ask for," Turner said.
"Just playing good ball. I was worried — not worried, but I’m glad my timing was still there. I didn’t know if a couple days (away) would be a little weird, but when you’re out there you kind of just react and play."
The Phillies went down 1-2-3 in the eighth and ninth innings. They are 5-6 this season against the Marlins, who are desperate and a half-game behind the Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot.
The three-game series continues Saturday at 6:40 p.m. when Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.55) opposes veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto (1-3, 5.54). The Phillies are missing Sandy Alcantara after seeing him in 11 consecutive Phils-Marlins series. He was placed on the injured list Thursday with a right forearm strain.
Did you find this summary helpful? Tell us why in a few seconds!She’s got that red lip classic and a Penn sweatshirt.Taylor Swift was spotted in New York on Wednesday rocking a retro University of Pennsylvania short-sleeved sweatshirt and denim shorts.As it turns out, the navy blue top was sourced by Philly’s own master thrifter and clothing curator, Caitlin Driscoll of Peppered Goods.Advert...
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She’s got that red lip classic and a Penn sweatshirt.
Taylor Swift was spotted in New York on Wednesday rocking a retro University of Pennsylvania short-sleeved sweatshirt and denim shorts.
As it turns out, the navy blue top was sourced by Philly’s own master thrifter and clothing curator, Caitlin Driscoll of Peppered Goods.
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Driscoll, 39, was in her Doylestown backyard hanging laundry when she received a text from the owner of 9th St. Vintage in New York this week. It was a photo from People Magazine of the pop star and Reading native in a henley-style shirt Driscoll had sold to the East Village shop earlier this summer.
For the vintage curator, it’s just the latest example of her secondhand gems finding new life. Driscoll — along with her husband, Dylan — started finding and selling vintage clothes and goods in 2008, including vintage pieces their newborn son had outgrown.
“Very quickly, a brick-and-mortar out of Boston reached out to me to see if I would curate a kids’ collection for them, and that led to me becoming a full-time vintage buyer for multiple stores worldwide,” she said. “Up until COVID-19, my husband and I mainly worked as buyers for other vintage shops. But we had to switch gears a little, and now, on top of still working for other shops, we sell on [Instagram].”
In Philly, Peppered Goods stocks a rack of curated, rotating vintage pieces at Moon + Arrow boutique in Queen Village.
» READ MORE: Taylor Swift confirmed those ‘gold rush’ lyrics are about the Eagles
As for Swift’s top, Driscoll told The Inquirer that it’s from the 1960s and was sold on Penn’s campus. The shirt sports the university’s crest on the left breast.
“It’s from a time when college pride was at an all-time high and it was worn just soft enough that it melts perfectly on your body,” she said. Swift paired the shirt with a crossbody bag from Mansur Gavriel and Ivy Park trail sneakers.
Driscoll said that 9th St. Vintage’s owner, Meridith Civorelli, purchases clothes from Peppered Goods a few times a month for the New York City store.
“Meridith let me know a few days ago when Taylor and her friend Margaret Qualley came into the shop [and] that they had both left with items she swiped from us,” Driscoll said. “Meri’s daughter is a huge Taylor Swift fan. So it’s cool to share these small joys with them. I definitely sent a screenshot to my teenage son [and] told him to show all his friends so maybe he’d think we were a little cooler than he does.”
» READ MORE: Taylor Swift seen, and swarmed, on Long Beach Island for Margaret Qualley and producer Jack Antonoff’s wedding
For Sarah Kucharski, who runs Taylor Swift Styled — social media accounts and a blog devoted to chronicling Swift’s outfits over the years — the retro Penn top is a nod to the singer’s love for older pieces.
“[The outfit] proves Taylor’s ongoing penchant for shopping for unique and retro things and that she does indeed continue to pick up pieces for herself,” Kucharski said in a post about Swift’s outfit. “Something we’ve seen her do ever since the 2010s.”
Kucharski added, “And as a Philly girl, it’s not a stretch to see why Taylor was drawn to this University of Penn tee.”
PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies needed more than Trea Turner’s dad strength on Friday night.A day after his son Tatum was born, Turner hit a solo home run in the first inning and walked, stole second and scored in the third, but the Phillies blew a two-run lead in the sixth and lost to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, 3-2. They hold a two-game lead over the Cubs for the ...
PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies needed more than Trea Turner’s dad strength on Friday night.
A day after his son Tatum was born, Turner hit a solo home run in the first inning and walked, stole second and scored in the third, but the Phillies blew a two-run lead in the sixth and lost to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, 3-2. They hold a two-game lead over the Cubs for the No. 1 National League Wild Card with 22 games to play.
“I tend to not think about those things in the moment,” Turner said about homering in his first at-bat since his second son’s birth. “Rhys [Hoskins] was like, ‘You want that ball.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.’ So I made a little trade for it. A pretty cool moment, looking back at it now. But in the moment, I was just happy I put a good swing on the ball.”
It could have been a cooler night for Turner and the Phillies, but everything went sideways in the sixth. Phillies manager Rob Thomson pulled left-hander Cristopher Sánchez after pitching five scoreless innings and retiring the last five batters he faced. Thomson said he wanted right-hander Seranthony Domínguez to face Jake Burger, who had doubled against Sánchez in the first.
“That’s Seranthony’s spot right there,” Thomson said. “It was a right-handed pocket, four in a row.”
Sánchez said he had no problem leaving the game after five innings, despite throwing only 82 pitches. But he also said he had more left in the tank.
“A lot more,” he said.
Domínguez allowed a one-out single to Bryan De La Cruz and a two-out, two-run home run on a hanging 2-2 slider to Jesús Sánchez to tie the game. Jacob Stallings hit a solo homer against Matt Strahm in the seventh to give Miami the lead.
Domínguez fell to 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 41 1/3 innings. He hasn’t dominated like he has in seasons past, which is a concern as the Phillies enter the final few weeks of the season. The Phils need his nastiness back. He had a 1.69 ERA in nine postseason appearances last fall, striking out 18 and walking one in 10 2/3 innings. He was invaluable.
But Domínguez entered Friday with a career-low strikeout rate (21.0 percent). It is a significant drop compared to his 29.9 percent career rate from 2018-22. Domínguez’s whiff rate also has dropped from 32.6 percent (89th percentile) in '22 to a more pedestrian 27.2 percent (60th percentile), while it's 24.2 percent from Aug. 1 through Wednesday. During that stretch, he allowed one run in 12 1/3 innings, striking out nine and walking six.
“I don’t know,” Domínguez said when asked why he isn’t missing as many bats this year. “I’ve got to keep pitching, keep trying to get ahead in the count. Sometimes they hit the ball well, you know?”
Thomson thinks Domínguez’s slider command has played a role, although Domínguez said he believes it has been better recently.
But Sánchez confirmed Thomson’s assessment when he discussed his home run against Domínguez.
“Literally they told me he has fastball/slider, those were the pitches that he has, so I went with the mentality of approaching the fastball,” Sánchez said through the Marlins’ interpreter. “He threw a [first-pitch] fastball outside, and then a [second-pitch] hanging slider. Missed that one, and then the next hanging slider I was waiting for fastball, but I was able to make contact.”
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The Phillies still could have won. They left eight runners on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
If there was any good news Friday, it was that Turner was back and he did not look rusty.
“I wasn’t worried, but I’m glad my timing was still there a little bit,” he said. “I didn’t know if a couple days would affect me. I got in the cage. It was a little weird, but when you’re out there between the lines you just react and play.”
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Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook .
The Eagles are on the road in Week 1 to face the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts for a 4:25 p.m. kickoff.To the predictions:Reuben FrankWeird things happen on opening day. Everybody’s full of surprises, good teams don’t realize they’re good yet and bad teams don’t realize they’re bad. Every team thinks it's going to the Super Bowl. Opening day is full of upsets and shocks and it’s never easy to win on Week 1. Add to the equation that the losing t...
The Eagles are on the road in Week 1 to face the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts for a 4:25 p.m. kickoff.
To the predictions:
Reuben Frank
Weird things happen on opening day. Everybody’s full of surprises, good teams don’t realize they’re good yet and bad teams don’t realize they’re bad. Every team thinks it's going to the Super Bowl. Opening day is full of upsets and shocks and it’s never easy to win on Week 1. Add to the equation that the losing team in the last 25 Super Bowls is 10-15 on opening day the next year, and the last 20 Super Bowl losers who opened on the road are 4-16 in Week 1 and you see how tricky this game is. The Eagles are clearly the better team. They have the better roster, the better quarterback, the better weapons, the better defense. Heck, they may even have the better coach now that Tom Brady is out of the equation. Week 1 can be scary. That said, I expect the Eagles will find a way Sunday in Foxboro. I don’t think it will be easy. I don’t think it will be pretty. I don’t think it will be a blowout. But the Eagles are an NFL-best 12-3 on opening day since 2008 and I’m confident that by 8 p.m. Sunday they’ll be 13-3.
Eagles 27, Patriots 20
Dave Zangaro
It’s never easy facing a Bill Belichick defense and there are always some unknowns going into any season about what you’re going to see. But the Eagles should have enough answers. Jalen Hurts is coming off a tremendous training camp and if the Pats try to heat him up he has safety valves built into this offense. While Belichick might play a tad more zone this season, he’s known for man coverage and that’s a problem with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith outside with one corner out and another in his first NFL game. It could be a huge day for one or both of those guys on Sunday.
On the other side of the ball, I don’t think that Patriots’ offensive line is going to be good enough to slow down the Eagles’ pass rushers, especially because they’re pretty injured. The Pats’ OL has been banged up all summer and even with Haason Reddick’s thumb wrapped, the Eagles have a couple waves of dangerous pass rushers. So while there’s some concern about all the new pieces at linebacker and safety, it won’t matter if Mac Jones is on the seat of his pants. This game might be a little closer than you’d expect but the better team comes out on top.
Eagles 27, Patriots 17
Barrett Brooks
I don't think Weeks 1-4 will be the best football the Eagles will play this season. With none of the starters getting reps in the preseason, there will be a fair amount of rust to shake off. At this point, Jalen Hurts has not taken a hit since February. He has been saved by the red jersey all of training camp.
Offensively, the Birds will face a good front seven. OLB Matthew Judon and DT Lawrence will test the Eagles OL. MLB Ja' Whaun Bentley can run well and plays very instinctually. Defensively, QB Mack Jones has better coaching this year and the expectation is that Jones should take a step forward in his development. The Pats’ offense will try to run the ball so that Jones will not have to deal with the Birds’ pass rush throughout the game.
Considering the talent level of the Eagles and the lack of talent in the Pats’ locker room, this should be a double digit win for the Eagles. Notice I didn't say easy. There is never an easy game in the NFL.
Eagles 27, Patriots 17
Mike Mulhern
The mystique of Bill Belichick has lost just a little shine in the post-Tom Brady era and TB12’s presence will be looming large on opening day as he’s honored by the Patriots. It’s only natural to look at the fact that Belichick has two losing seasons and a one-and-done playoff exit on his own while Brady added a 7th ring without “The Hoodie” before retiring (again). However, Belichick still produced a defense last season that was top-three in both sacks and takeaways while giving up the eight fewest yards. The Patriots generally focus on taking away the opposing offense’s best option. Good luck figuring out what exactly that is for the Eagles and then stopping it. They have so many ways to beat you. My guess is Belichick will attempt to keep Jalen Hurts from running and force him to win from the pocket. Hurts will quickly prove he’s improved even more as a passer leading to big days for AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Pats will present some problems early but expect Hurts and the coaching staff to solve them all eventually.
On the other side of the ball, there is a ton of excitement surrounding a pair of young Georgia draft picks on the Eagles roster, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. But this matchup will be all about the two Bulldogs they selected a year prior, Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. They’ll be largely responsible for slowing down the Rhamondre Stevenson/Ezekiel Elliott combo on the ground. Once that happens, the pass rush will be able to get after Mac Jones and force a key turnover or two. Brady gets cheered. His successor gets booed. Jalen Hurts continues his rise.
Eagles 27, Patriots, 17
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