In mid-November of last year, the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers were at opposite ends of the NFL spectrum. By the end of the season, they were also at opposite ends, but they had switched positions.

The NFL moves fast, and those who attended Friday night’s historic game in Brazil can attest to that. The Eagles started last season 10-1, won just once the rest of the season and were blown out in their first playoff game. The Packers started 3-6 but have won seven of their last 10 games, including a playoff run that saw them beat the Dallas Cowboys in a playoff opener and lead the San Francisco 49ers in the final two minutes of what turned out to be a playoff loss.

As the teams enter this season, both have high expectations. The Packers hope to continue their hot streak from last season, while the Eagles hope an offseason of significant changes will put them back in Super Bowl contention.

It’s a fascinating matchup for the first NFL regular-season game ever played in South America. It’s also the first Friday opening-week game for the NFL since 1970. That history is fine, but the only thing the two teams are concerned about is that one of the NFC’s hopefuls is going home with an 0-1 record.

Eagles try to fight back

The way the Eagles’ season ended was shocking. They went from 10-1, after a Super Bowl appearance the season before, to one of the worst teams in football, losing six of their last seven games. A 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round was embarrassing. Head coach Nick Sirianni was brought back, but it seemed like a close call. And he was back in a new role.

Sirianni turned over control of the offense to the team’s next coordinator, who eventually became Kellen Moore. Sirianni said that was his idea. Whether or not that’s true, he comes in as CEO-coach this season. Moore will lead the offense, and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will handle that side of the ball.

There was more big news. Center Jason Kelce retired, as did defensive lineman Fletcher Cox. Kelce is all but assured of a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Cox has a strong case.

Philadelphia added running back Saquon Barkley in free agency. There was an explosive story from ESPN detailing the strained relationship between Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts, which will come up a lot more if the Eagles get off to a slow start.

The Eagles’ squad is still championship-worthy. But we’ll find out on Friday whether the stink of last season’s finish has dissipated.

Packers ride the wave

The Packers weren’t just good at the end of last season. They were fielding the youngest roster in the NFL and, by some measures, the youngest team to win a playoff game since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970.

At the center was Jordan Love. He came off a slow start to the season with many questions about his ability to be the Packers’ franchise quarterback. He was incredible in the second half of the season, throwing 16 touchdowns and one interception in Green Bay’s final eight regular-season games. Then he had a near-perfect performance in a playoff win over the Cowboys. The Packers paid up, signing Love to a four-year, $220 million contract.

The Packers have also made changes. They changed defensive coordinators and hired Jeff Hafley from his head coaching job at Boston College. Their two big free-agent additions were running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney. The Packers finished last season very well and look better on paper this season.

It’s all a mystery until the teams kick off in São Paulo, Brazil. There’s always a lot of overreaction to anything that happens in Week 1, and given how the Packers’ and Eagles’ seasons turned last November, both fans will be overanalyzing what happens on Friday night all weekend.