The Eagles have one of the NFL’s most demanding schedules, and after winning the NFC East, Philadelphia will be playing the first-place teams in the other NFC divisions, along with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Birds will travel to Tampa Bay on a Monday night and host the Minnesota Vikings again in Week 2 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Here is a breakdown of the Eagles’ 17 regular-season games, featuring the league’s most challenging strength of schedule (.566 win percentage) by quarters.
First Quarter
Week 1: Sunday, September 10 at New England Patriots at 4:25 PM (CBS)
Week 2: Thursday, September 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings at 8:15 PM (Prime Video)
Week 3: Monday, September 25 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 7:15 PM (ABC)
Week 4: Sunday, October 1 vs. Washington Commanders at 1 PM (FOX)
Breakdown: The Birds will open up on the road against the Patriots on an afternoon where they’ll honor the legendary Tom Brady. Week 1 offers an immediate trap game, while Week 2 sees Justin Jefferson and the Vikings heading to Philadelphia with both teams on three or four days’ rest.
The Eagles close out the first month with two winnable games against the Buccaneers and Commanders. It’s not out of the question for Philadelphia to start 4-0 and no worse than 3-1. Anything other than a quick start would be concerning, with the teeth of the schedule fast approaching.
Second Quarter
Week 5: Sunday, October 8 at Los Angeles Rams at 4:05 PM+ (FOX)
Week 6: Sunday, October 15 at New York Jets at 4:25 PM+ (FOX)
Week 7: Sunday, October 22 vs. Miami Dolphins at 8:20 PM+ (NBC)
Week 8: Sunday, October 29 at Washington Commanders at 1 PM+ (FOX)
Week 9: Sunday, November 5 vs. Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 PM+ (FOX)
Breakdown: The schedule makers have Philadelphia traveling to Los Angeles to face the rebuilding Rams in a potential trap game before a showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the upstart New York Jets. They’ll face back-to-back AFC East foes before back-to-back NFC East opponents leading into the bye week. This five-game stretch offers no cupcakes but plenty of opportunity for the Eagles to enter the break, winning four of the five matchups.
Third Quarter
Week 11: Monday, November 20 at Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 PM+ (ESPN/ABC)
Week 12: Sunday, November 26 vs. Buffalo Bills at 4:25 PM+ (CBS)
Week 13: Sunday, December 3 vs. San Francisco 49ers at 4:25 PM+ (FOX)
Week 14: Sunday, December 10 at Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 PM+ (NBC)
Breakdown: After the Week 10 bye, Philadelphia will embark on a stretch where they’ll face six playoff teams, including this emotional and taxing four-game stretch where they travel to Kansas City, host Buffalo, host San Francisco, and then travel to Dallas. A 2-2 finish would be solid, while a 4-0 or 3-1 stretch would indicate a championship squad has been formed. The Eagles losing all four contests would be concerning but not season-ending.
Fourth Quarter
Week 15: Sunday, December 17 at Seattle Seahawks at 4:25 PM+ (FOX)
Week 16: Monday, December 25 vs. New York Giants at 4:30 PM+ (FOX)
Week 17: Sunday, December 31 vs. Arizona Cardinals at 1 PM+ (FOX)
Week 18: TBD at New York Giants
Breakdown: The final stretch run could allow Philadelphia to secure a home-field advantage or a high-seed postseason. They face every NFC playoff team from 2022, and the last quarter includes two games against the Giants and a reunion with Jonathan Gannon and his rebuilding Cardinals.
Bottom Line
Philadelphia should be favored in at least a dozen of their 2023 matchups, and overall health could dictate another No. 1 seed, or a potential regression back to the second or third best team in the conference. The schedule is daunting and it’ll prepare the Eagles for whichever talented opponent emerges from the AFC. One loss per quarter isn’t out of the question and Philadelphia shouldn’t lose more than two games in a row this season.
