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Now that the 2020 NFL schedule is officially here, it’s time for a very important and scientific exercise: going through the Philadelphia Eagles’ schedule game-by-game in order to come up with a final record prediction.
I can’t help but point out that this exercise feels especially futile given the uncertainty that these games will even be played due to COVID-19. But alas, the content must go on!
Last year around this time, I had the Eagles “looking at a floor of 9-7 and a ceiling of 12-4.” I was right about their floor as they ended up winning nine games. This obviously means I’m going to be right again this year, so make sure to really take these predictions to heart.
Eagles 2020 Schedule
Week 1 - at Washington Redskins (Sept. 12, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Hiring Ron Rivera gives Washington some more credibility. Adding Chase Young is pretty nice, too. I could see WASTEAM beating the Eagles once this year. Then again, I’m still pretty skeptical about Dwayne Haskins despite his good outing against Philly’s defense late last season. This is a guy who had a 76.1 passer rating last season. It’ll be tougher for Haskins to make a leap with Washington having a shortened offseason. The Eagles begin the season with a victory at FedEx Field, just like they did en route to winning Super Bowl LII in 2017. WIN
1-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat Washington in Week 1?
Week 2 - vs. Los Angeles Rams (Sept. 20, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Doug Pederson owns Sean McVay. Also, give me Carson Wentz over Jared Goff and his 82.24 passer rating from his last 24 games played. WIN
2-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Rams in Week 2?
Week 3 - vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sept. 27, 1:00 PM ET, CBS)
No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow will put a scare into the Eagles’ defense. He’s going to be legitimately good from the jump. But a rookie mistake or two combined with a roster that lacks talent will prevent Cincy from escaping Philly with the win. Eagles passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Press Taylor will enjoy this victory over his older brother, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. WIN
3-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Bengals in Week 3?
Week 4 - at San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 4, 8:20 PM ET, NBC) Sunday Night Football
Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t that scary — he’s actually pretty good looking — but Kyle Shanahan sure has a lot of talent to scheme up. I wonder about the Eagles’ ability to keep pace with San Fran’s scoring. LOSS
3-1
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the 49ers in Week 4?
Week 5 - at Pittsburgh Steelers (Oct. 11, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Can you guess how many losing seasons the Steelers have had since 2000? The answer is one and it was back in 2003. Ergo, the Steelers have never had a losing season under Mike Tomlin. They’ve always found a way to be at least decent. The Eagles are 2-5 in their last seven games in Pittsburgh dating back to 1968 and this could be another Keystone Bowl loss for them. LOSS
3-2
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Steelers in Week 5?
Week 6 - vs. Baltimore Ravens (Oct. 18, 1:00 PM ET, CBS)
Lamar Jackson will probably regress to some extent following his MVP season. But he’s still going to be pretty challenging to defend. Baltimore’s defense is tough, too. Ultimately, Schwartz’s defense will step and Wentz will outshine Jackson in a win. WIN
4-2
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Ravens in Week 7?
Week 7 - vs. New York Giants (Oct. 22, 8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL Network/Amazon) Thursday Night Football
The Eagles are 20-4 in their last 24 games against the Giants. They simply own that team. Maybe that’ll change during the Joe Judge era but I’ll believe it when I see it. Jason Garrett’s sideline clapping will be halted by Daniel Jones fumbling the game away. WIN
5-2
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Giants in Week 7?
Week 8 - vs. Dallas Cowboys (Nov. 1, 8:20 PM ET, NBC) Sunday Night Football
The Eagles getting Slay to help limit Amari Cooper is nice and all but, uh, who is shutting down CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup? Dallas wins a shootout in Philly. LOSS
5-3
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Cowboys in Week 8?
Week 9 - BYE
Always nice to have the bye at the exact halfway point.
Poll
Will the the Eagles beat the bye in Week 9?
Week 10 - at New York Giants (Nov. 15, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Again, I’ll believe the Giants will beat the Eagles when I see it happen. WIN
6-3
Poll
Will the the Eagles beat the Giants in Week 10?
Week 11 - at Cleveland Browns (Nov. 22, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
This marks Wentz’s first game in Cleveland since the Browns passed on taking him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s going to show up in a big way as Baker Mayfield continue to be plagued by inconsistency. Darius Slay locks up Odell Beckham Jr. in this matchup. WIN
7-3
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Browns in Week 11?
Week 12 - vs. Seattle Seahawks (Nov. 30, 8:15 PM ET, ESPN) Monday Night Football
The Eagles are due to finally beat Russell Wilson at some point, right? I can’t say I feel good about it but the Eagles should be extra motivated to avenge last year’s losses in Philly. Going with my heart over my head here. WIN
8-3
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Seahawks in Week 12?
Week 13 - at Green Bay Packers (Dec. 6, 4:25 PM ET, CBS)
The Eagles escaped Lambeau Field with a win last year. Can they really beat Green Bay on the road again? Possibly while doing it in the snow this time? And on a short week? Aaron Rodgers is on the decline but he sure found plenty of success against the Eagles’ defense prior to Davante Adams getting hurt. I’m also envisioning Andre Dillard struggling to handle Za’Darius Smith here. LOSS
8-4
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Packers in Week 13?
Week 14 - vs. New Orleans Saints (Dec. 13, 4:25 PM ET, FOX)
The Eagles know all too well that the Superdome is a tough place to play. Fortunately, they’ll get the Saints in Philly instead. But will the setting actually make a huge difference? Sean Payton’s crew has only lost five out of their last 25 road games. One of those losses came when Drew Brees got hurt mid-game and another was The Minnesota Miracle. The Saints have just had the Eagles’ number in recent years. Adding Jalen Hurts gives Philly an equalizer for Taysom Hill but it won’t be enough. The Eagles lose in overtime with Malcolm Jenkins returning a pick-six for the game winning score. Ouch. LOSS
8-5
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Saints in Week 14?
Week 15 - at Arizona Cardinals (Dec. 20, 4:05 PM ET, FOX)
As a Sean McVay protege, I’m wont to be skeptical of Kliff Kingsbury. But the Cards’ offense finished seventh in weighted DVOA last year after being dead last in 2018. Kyler Murray is bound to take a leap after showing promise as a rookie, especially now that he has DeAndre Hopkins to work with. Oh, and I’m sure even the 37-year-old version of Larry Fitzgerald will find a way to annoy the Eagles. The desert is a tougher place to play than it gets credit for. LOSS
8-6
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Cardinals in Week 15?
Week 16 - at Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 27, 4:25 PM ET, FOX)
It wouldn’t be a true schedule prediction without the Eagles splitting against their top division rivals. In another shootout, Philly gets the best of Dallas this time. In overtime. WIN
9-6
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Cowboys in Week 16?
Week 17 - vs. Washington Redskins (Jan. 3, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Beating Washington won’t be a cakewalk as Rivera will have his players playing hard but the Eagles will ultimately grind out another win. WIN
10-6
Poll
Will the Eagles beat Washington in Week 17?
...
Final record: 10-6
I think the Eagles are looking at a range of 9-7 through 11-5, hence me splitting the difference.
There’s reason to feel good about the Birds with Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson leading the way. Wentz really stepped up down the stretch last season. Pederson always has his team playing their best football late in the year. Jim Schwartz’s track record also suggests the Eagles should at least a respectable defense.
One can envision the scenario where things go right for the Eagles. The new coaching staff hires bring some fresh ideas to the table. Wentz’s passing numbers explode with the Eagles adding more speed on offense. The defense is bolstered by the addition of Darius Slay and a strong interior pass rush featuring a resurgent Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Malik Jackson. The Eagles manage to stay relatively healthy instead of being one of the most injured teams in the league again.
One can also see where pitfalls exist. Andre Dillard really struggles to protect Wentz’s blindside. It becomes clear Howie Roseman failed to do enough to help Wentz at receiver. Slay shows signs of aging and decline as the secondary struggles behind an underwhelming pass rush. The loss of Malcolm Jenkins is felt both on and off the field.
Ultimately, I think the Eagles will be a good team in 2020. I have my doubts they’ll be a great one that truly belongs as a member of the NFC’s elite. Merely becoming the first team to repeat as NFC East champions for the first time since 2004 will be no small task since the Cowboys will make things competitive.
What say you?
Poll
What’s your record prediction for the 2020 Eagles?
This poll is closed
-
5%
13-3 or better
(425 votes) -
13%
12-4
(961 votes) -
32%
11-5
(2352 votes) -
27%
10-6
(2019 votes) -
13%
9-7
(968 votes) -
3%
8-8
(282 votes) -
1%
7-9
(111 votes) -
1%
6-10 or worse
(104 votes)