The Eagles schedule for the 2023 season is here — and the NFL did the reigning NFC Champions no favors in their quest to get back to the Super Bowl.
Opening on the road. A short week right out of the gate. Two trips out west that aren’t in back-to-back weeks. A stretch that sees them play seven-straight games against playoff teams from last season.
Yikes.
The good news? The Eagles enter this season with arguably the best roster in the NFL, well equipped to handle anything thrown their way.
The bad news? Going back to the Super Bowl is never easy — and there is no question this schedule makes it even tougher to avoid a letdown season.
Here is a game-by-game breakdown of the schedule:
Week 1: New England Patriots (Away)
It is borderline insulting that the Eagles, the defending NFC champions, have to open on the road against an AFC opponent. Add in the fact that the Patriots are honoring Tom Brady this game and this is a very tough opener. Eagles should win this game simply because of the talent discrepancy but it won’t be easy.
Prediction: Win (1-0)
Week 2: Home vs. Minnesota Vikings (Home/Thursday Night Football)
The Eagles once again open their home schedule with a visit from Minnesota in prime time — but this game comes just four days after their season opener. A game against a good offense isn’t ideal so early in the season, especially with a new defensive coordinator.
Prediction: Loss (1-1)
Week 3: Tampa Bay (Away/Monday Night Football)
The Eagles get some extra time off after playing two games in five days to start the season. This should be an easy win and begin a stretch of very winnable games.
Prediction: Win (2-1)
Week 4: Home vs. Washington (Home)
Washington has a decent roster but no quarterback. Considering the tough stretch the Eagles have later in the season it is going to crucial to pickup wins early on.
Prediction: Win (3-1)
Week 5: Los Angeles Rams (Away)
In 2017 the Eagles got their trips to Los Angeles and Seattle in back-to-back weeks. This time around they didn’t get that favor from the league. The good news is the Rams should be one of the worst teams in football, assuming Matthew Stafford is once again sidelined.
Prediction: Win (4-1)
Week 6: New York Jets (Away)
The Eagles make a trip up the turnpike after their trip across the country. The Jets are a tough team to figure out. They could be contenders for a Super Bowl or a complete disaster with Aaron Rodgers. Either way this is a game the Eagles should win.
Prediction: Win (5-1)
Week 7: Miami (Home/Sunday Night Football)
Much like the Rams and Jets, the Dolphins season will be determined by if their quarterback is healthy. This could be a sneaky tough game for the Eagles if Tua Tagovailoa plays.
Prediction: Loss (5-2)
Week 8: Washington (Away)
Washington should be tanking for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Eagles better have at least six wins by now because the upcoming stretch is brutal. If they get off to a slow start, something that isn’t uncommon for teams coming off long seasons, this upcoming stretch could sink their season.
Prediction: Win (6-2)
Week 9: Dallas (Home)
The Eagles get their first shot at Dallas at home. This is the first of what is maybe the toughest stretch I have ever seen the schedule makers hand the team in my 10 years covering the team.
Prediction: Win (7-2)
Week 10: BYE WEEK: Perhaps the only favor the NFL gave the Eagles was a Bye Week in the middle of the season.
Week 11: Kansas City (Away/Monday Night Football)
The Super Bowl rematch everyone has been waiting for. Could the Eagles win it? Sure. Will they? I wouldn’t bet on it.
Prediction: Loss (7-3)
Week 12: Buffalo (Home)
If there is one benefit to getting all the tough games in a row it is that it is hard to believe the Eagles will go on a long losing streak. Still, Kansas City and Buffalo back-to-back is maybe the toughest stretch any team will face this season.
Prediction: Loss (7-4)
Week 13: San Francisco (Home)
In an ideal world the Eagles would have had their rematch with San Francisco early in the season while they were still trying to settle in at quarterback. The Eagles are going to get an extremely motivated 49ers team — but the extreme advantage they should have at quarterback will be the difference.
Prediction: Win (8-4)
Week 14: Dallas (Away/Sunday Night Football)
The only thing tougher than having Kansas City, Buffalo and San Francisco in back-to-back-to-back weeks? Having to follow it up with a trip to Dallas, a place the Eagles have struggled to win — and a place their defense has been especially bad.
Prediction: Loss (8-5)
Week 15: Seattle (Away)
Seattle likely won’t be contending for a title this year, but they were a playoff team last year, and a trip out west is never easy. The Eagles are 0-7 in their last seven matches vs. the Seahawks and haven’t won out in Seattle since 2008.
Prediction: Win (9-5)
Week 16: New York Giants (Home)
The Giants seem primed for a step back this season after winning a ton of one-score games last year and not having much talent on offense. This is going to need to be a win for the Eagles coming off of their brutal stretch of games.
Prediction: Win (10-5)
Week 17: Arizona (Home)
The Cardinals season should be over at this point. The Eagles are going to need to win this game to keep up their hopes of getting the No. 1 seed.
Prediction: Win (11-5)
Week 18: New York Giants (Away)
The Eagles end the season against the Giants once again. Considering the tough schedule and the lack of great teams in the NFC this season, chances are this game will mean something — and if it does, the Eagles should win it.
Prediction: Win (12-5)
Overall: There is no way around it — this is about as tough of a schedule as the NFL could have handed the Eagles. The opponents early on aren’t tough, but the difficult schedule early on forces them to come out of the gate playing well, something that is very tough for teams coming off of Super Bowls to do. The 2005 Eagles started 3-2. The 2018 Eagles started 2-3. This Eagles team will have to do better, because if they don’t, the stretch that goes DAL-KC-BUF-SF-DAL-SEA could be a death blow to their chances of being a top seed in the playoffs.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!