The Eagles’ 2017 schedule should be a little bit easier

This season the Eagles failed to beat an NFC East team until Week 16, while the rest of the division played much better than expected. As a result, they finished dead last. Not ideal for Doug Pederson’s first season at the helm, but it comes with at least one perk: the Eagles’ schedule in 2017 will be ever-so-slightly easier.

The Eagles, of course, will face 13 different teams next season. Those 13 teams piled up a combined record of 102-103-3, for a winning percentage of .497, a mark far below the schedule they faced in Pederson’s first year. The Eagles had the hardest record in the league this season; the combined winning percentage of their 13 opponents in 2016 (and 2017) was .559, with nine of their 16 games coming against playoff teams.

Here’s who the Eagles face, at home and on the road, starting in September

Home

• Dallas Cowboys (13-3)
• New York Giants (11-5)
• Washington Redskins (8-7-1)
• Arizona Cardinals (7-8-1)
• San Francisco 49ers (2-14)
• Denver Broncos (9-7)
• Oakland Raiders (12-4)
• Chicago Bears (3-13)

Away

• Dallas Cowboys (13-3)
• New York Giants (11-5)
• Washington Redskins (8-7-1)
• Los Angeles Rams (4-12)
• Seattle Seahawks (10-5-1)
• Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)
• San Diego Chargers (5-11)
• Carolina Panthers (6-10)

A few notes:

• The teams the Eagles face at home next year had a combined record of 26-37-1 on the road in 2016-17, or a .445 road winning percentage. The league as a whole had a .417 road winning percentage, meaning the teams the Eagles will face at home next season are, on average, slightly better than a random NFL team on the road.
• The teams the Eagles face on the road next year had a combined record of 39-25 at home in 2016-17, or a .609 home winning percentage. The league as a whole had a .578 home winning percentage this year, so the teams the Eagles will face at their respective stadiums next season are, on average, slightly better than a random NFL team at home.
• The Eagles will be facing the Seahawks in Seattle for the fourth time in the last five match-ups. The Eagles are 5-4 when playing the Seahawks in Seattle, compared to 2-6 when facing them in Philadelphia.
• The Eagles will face the Chiefs in Kansas City for the first time in 12 years. They beat the Chiefs, 37-31, and were coached that year by Andy Reid, who now coaches... the Chiefs.
• The Eagles will play in Los Angeles for the first time in 24 years, when they played the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum. The Birds won that game, 31-10, en route to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. This year they’ll play the Rams, who moved back to L.A. this past season.

And now let’s take a real brief look at the rest of the division’s strength of schedule next season, just for a preliminary gauge at what to expect out of an unexpectedly strong NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys

Home: Redskins, Giants, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Packers, Chiefs, Chargers

Away: Redskins, Giants, Eagles, 49ers, Cardinals, Falcons, Raiders, Broncos

Strength of Schedule: .526

New York Giants

Home: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Lions, Chiefs, Chargers

Away: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, 49ers, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Raiders, Broncos

Strength of Schedule: .521

Washington

Home: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, 49ers, Cardinals, Vikings, Raiders, Broncos

Away: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Saints, Chiefs, Chargers

Strength of Schedule: .519