Well, it’s finally here. After leak upon leak and morsel after morsel of the 2019 NFL schedule dripped out to the public on Wednesday, we now have an official schedule for your Philadelphia Eagles next year.
Save it, share it, post it, tattoo it, here's your officially official 2019 #Eagles schedule #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ch76f8M2ZZ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 18, 2019
It’s hard to accurately gauge the difficulty of a schedule based on the opponents alone. Some teams you think are going to be good heading into the season end up being terrible, and games you think are going to be cakewalks end up being tremendous struggles.
Take last year for example. Everyone had wins penciled in against the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Tennessee Titans early in the season, but that obviously didn’t happen. The Jaguars and Rams looked like they could very easily have been two losses, but the Eagles instead won both those games. The bottom line is, much can happen between the time a schedule is released and when the season begins.
Nevertheless, it’s fun to look at the schedule and try to pick wins and losses and target some of the premier games we’re going to see this season. Here are my five favorites.
Week 4: Eagles @ Packers - Thursday, 9/26 @ 8:20PM
Aaron Rodgers ain’t what he used to be, but he’s still really damn good, and with head coach Mike McCarthy out of the way, we could see a rejuvenated Rodgers in 2019. It also doesn’t hurt that he’ll likely be motivated to shut up his critics after that scorcher of an article in Bleacher Report painted him in an unkind light.
Rodgers has played against the Eagles just four times in his career but has enjoyed a lot of success against them. The Packers are 3-1 in those games, and he has a career 104.4 QBR with a 66.9% completion rate, 7 TDs, 2 INTs and 856 passing yards in those four contests.
This feels like the first loss of the season for the Eagles, but if they can pull off a win at Lambeau against Rodgers, it might be an indication that we are in for a very special season.
Week 6: Eagles @ Vikings - Sunday, 10/1 @ 1:00 PM
The last time the Eagles played in Minnesota, they won the Super Bowl, and just being in that building will be special. But the rivalry between the Eagles and Vikings has also grown since the Birds destroyed them in the NFC Championship Game in January 2018, and despite last year’s loss to Minnesota at home, the Eagles still have the emotional edge over the Vikings after the Bears beat them on the final day of the season, which allowed the Eagles to sneak into the playoffs ahead of them.
Minnesota fans were feeling really strong after earning a strong victory over Philadelphia last season, but it’s clear the Eagles (and their fans) are still renting a space in their heads. Going into Minnesota and beating them again would just be too much fun to comprehend.
Week 11: Eagles vs. Patriots - Sunday, 11/17 @ 4:25 PM
Look, this one doesn’t need 300 words of explanation. It’s Tom Brady in Philadelphia. It’s a rematch of Super Bowl 52, featuring the last two Super Bowl champions, still at the tops of their game. Pederson vs. Belichick.
You know you’re not missing this one.
Week 12: Eagles vs. Seahawks - Sunday, 11/24 @ 8:20 PM
Talk about a brutal two-game stretch for the Eagles. One week after dealing with Brady, the Birds welcome Russell Wilson and Seattle into town for a Sunday night match-up that could have serious playoff implications.
Wilson and the Seahawks are not as dangerous away from Seattle, but their diminutive QB is one of the two or three best signal-callers in the league, and the last time these two teams played, in 2017, Wilson dealt Carson Wentz and the Eagles one of their two defeats in games that counted, 27-10. Russ made one amazing play after another in that game, almost single-handedly willing them to victory.
This looks to be a really tough one, but it should be entertaining.
Week 16: Eagles vs. Cowboys - Sunday, 12/22 @ 4:25 PM
The Eagles owe the Cowboys, man.
After losing twice to Dallas last season, you know the Eagles want some payback, and they’ll get a chance to hopefully secure a division title when these two teams meet up in the penultimate game of the season. This one should have playoff implications galore, and the Philly crowd will likely be going absolutely bananas.
Eagles vs. Dallas week is always special. This one could be one of those games that go down in team history when all is said and done.