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The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles schedule is officially here and that means it’s time to predict the outcome of every single game. Some may suggest this is a useless activity. To that I say: lighten up, Francis. We’re just trying to have some fun.
Also, this projection is bound to be 100% accurate, so it’s actually pretty useful.
Last year around this time, I had the Eagles finishing with a 11-6 record. I was too low on them since they set a new franchise record for regular season wins at 14-3! And then went to the Super Bowl where they ... well, you know what happened.
Let’s take a look at how things might shake out this year. Also check out even more schedule analysis in the latest BGN Radio podcast!
Week 1 - at New England Patriots (September 10, 4:25 PM, CBS)
The Patriots are set to honor Super Bowl LII-losing quarterback Tom Brady ahead of this game. The Eagles should do their part to honor him with another Patriots loss. Bill Belichick is overrated and Mac Jones — very much so the lesser Alabama quarterback in this matchup — isn’t scaring anybody. James Bradberry gets his revenge on JuJu Smith-Schuster by running the receiver’s route for him to get a pick six. If the Eagles somehow lose this game, one must wonder if Matt Patricia is acting as a double agent.
EAGLES WIN: 1-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Patriots in Week 1?
Week 2 - vs. Minnesota Vikings (September 14, 8:15 PM, Prime Video) *Thursday Night Football*
For the second year in a row, the Eagles are hosting the Vikings in Week 2. Can Darius Slay shut down Justin Jefferson again? It won’t be so easy for him to do it to the extent that he did last year. That being said, it’s not easy to buy into this Minny squad. They’re due for some serious regression after having a negative point differential and ranking 27th in DVOA last year. They’re simply not going to be as fortunate as they were in one-score games. The Eagles are going to beat them again.
EAGLES WIN: 2-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Vikings in Week 2?
Week 3 - at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (September 25, 7:15 PM, ABC) *Monday Night Football*
Weird matchup for primetime. The Bucs are not very interesting in the absence of Tom Brady. The vibes might improve with the team now able to form their own identity. But we’ll believe it when we see it with Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask leading the way.
EAGLES WIN: 3-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Buccaneers in Week 3?
Week 4 - vs. Washington Commanders (October 1, 1:00 PM, FOX)
It’s been a pretty boring offseason for the Commanders. That is, outside of the possibility of new ownership, which is a pretty massive deal. But until the sale to Josh Harris and company actually goes through, this franchise is kinda stuck twiddling their thumbs in a lame duck year for Ron Rivera. Though unspectacular for some time, the Commanders have given the Eagles some competitive games. They were the team to ruin their perfect record last season. With Jacoby Brissett being an upgrade on last year’s quarterbacks, it’s not inconceivable to think Washington could split these games. But we’ll give the nod to Philly at home here.
EAGLES WIN: 4-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Commanders in Week 4?
Week 5 - at Los Angeles Rams (October 8, 4:05 PM, FOX)
The Rams’ roster is ... not very good! And their head coach is a coward who will not give them an edge over Nick Sirianni’s aggressive approach.
EAGLES WIN: 5-0
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Rams in Week 5?
Week 6 - at New York Jets (October 15, 4:25 PM, FOX)
The Eagles have never lost to the Jets. That comes to an end this year with Aaron Rodgers bouncing back and giving Joe Douglas a win over Howie Roseman. Truth be told, I don’t fully trust that Rodgers will work out for NYJ. But I do think the Eagles will lose either in Week 6 or Week 7.
EAGLES LOSE: 5-1
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Jets in Week 6?
Week 7 - vs. Miami Dolphins (October 22, 8:20 PM, NBC)
Hard to fully know what to expect from Tua Tagovailoa after his serious head injuries last year. If he’s recovered and able to stay on the field, he can’t be taken lightly. Especially when he has Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Chosen Anderson to target deep down the field. That’s a lot of speed for the Eagles’ weathered cornerbacks and inexperienced safeties to deal with. Oh, and the Dolphins have Vic Fangio now. They might be getting slept on a bit too much. If the Eagles don’t lose in Week 6, they’ll lose this one. But I have the reverse happening.
EAGLES WIN: 6-1
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Dolphins in Week 7?
Week 8 - at Washington Commanders (October 29, 1:00 PM, FOX)
I think there might be something to Brissett being especially fired up to beat Sirianni. Not because the quarterback hates his former coach but because there’s a pride and competitive factor there. I also think the Commanders’ running game might quietly be pretty nice. I’ll give the Eagles the win but I don’t think these games will necessarily be walks in the park.
EAGLES WIN: 7-1
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Commanders in Week 8?
Week 9 - vs. Dallas Cowboys (November 5, 4:25 PM, FOX)
Time for me to get on my soap box once again and talk about how the NFL is messing up by not putting an Eagles-Cowboys game in Week 1. Or at least very early in the season. We haven’t had a Jalen Hurts vs. Dak Prescott matchup since early 2021. Why not do their best to guarantee that will actually happen?! Assuming they’re both available, I’ll lean with the better quarterback in this situation.
EAGLES WIN: 8-1
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Cowboys in Week 9?
Week 10 - BYE
I guess it’s nice to have the bye about as halfway through the season as you can get with 17 games. Nine before, eight after.
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the bye in Week 10?
Week 11 - at Kansas City Chiefs (November 20, 8:15 PM, ESPN) *Monday Night Football*
The Eagles’ rest advantage is mitigated by the Chiefs also having a bye before this game. Andy Reid moves to 5-0 against his former team. This is the fake Super Bowl rematch anyway; the real one will come in February.
EAGLES LOSE: 8-2
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Chiefs in Week 11?
Week 12 - vs. Buffalo Bills (November 26, 4:25 PM, CBS)
A little hard to predict due to Josh Allen’s volatility. I could see the Eagles frustrating him. I could also see them having no answers for him. I do wonder if the Bills are falling victim to hubris; they haven’t done much to improve this offseason, aside from trading up for Dalton Kincaid. Is that really a needle-mover for them when it typically takes rookie tight ends time to adjust to the NFL? Still, they’ve been fairly stable and successful with a strong core in recent years. I’ll flip a coin and say the Eagles catch Allen on a bad day for their sake.
EAGLES LOSE: 8-3
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Bills in Week 12?
Week 13 - vs. San Francisco 49ers (December 3, 4:30 PM, FOX)
The whiners are really just asking for another beating after complaining about their NFC Championship Game loss ever since it happened. Also, who even is the quarterback for this game? I’m not taking Sam Darnold to beat the Birds ... and it sounds like he’s legitimately in the mix for the starting job. Not scared of Brock Purdy or Trey Lance, either. And you can set your watch to Kyle Shanahan turtling up in a spot where he should be aggressive.
EAGLES WIN: 9-3
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the 49ers in Week 13?
Week 14 - at Dallas Cowboys (December 10, 8:20 PM, NBC)
The Eagles haven’t won at AT&T Stadium since 2017. They haven’t swept the Cowboys since 2011. So, a split is the smart bet.
EAGLES LOSE: 9-4
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Cowboys in Week 14?
Week 15 - at Seattle Seahawks (December 17, 4:25 PM, FOX)
The Eagles haven’t won in Seattle since 2008. The Seahawks’ quarterback for that game? Seneca Wallace. So, yeah, it’s been a minute. This one has the makings of a good one! The Seahawks seem to be on the rise, assuming Geno Smith can avoid being a one-year wonder. Their strong 2022 rookie class is only going to get better and they further bolstered their roster with a 2023 draft that looks pretty good on paper. The Seahawks secure an overtime win in a game that comes down to the wire. Could be the primer for a rematch in Philly one month or so later.
EAGLES LOSE: 9-5
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Seahawks in Week 15?
Week 16 - vs. New York Giants (December 25, 4:30 PM, FOX)
If you listen to the NFC East Mixtape podcast, you’re well aware that more than one thing can be true. 1) The Giants are much more respectable than they used to be. 2) The Eagles own the Giants. New York deserves no benefit of the doubt against Philly until they earn it.
EAGLES WIN: 10-5
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Giants in Week 16?
Week 17 - vs. Arizona Cardinals (December 31, 1:00 PM, FOX)
Jonathan Gannon is a fraud. The Cardinals’ pick in the 2024 NFL Draft might be No. 1 overall.
EAGLES WIN: 11-5
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Cardinals in Week 17?
Week 18 - at New York Giants (January 6 or 7, TBD, TBD)
It’s possible that seeding might be locked up at this point. But considering I have the Eagles with five losses, they still might need this win. So, I’ll give it to them since the Giants need to prove they can hang with Philly.
EAGLES WIN: 12-5
Poll
Will the Eagles beat the Giants in Week 18?
PLAYOFFS?!
It’s impossible to merely assume the Eagles are going to win a division that hasn’t produced a repeat winner in nearly 20 years now. The Cowboys are a very viable threat to overtake the Birds as NFC East champions.
That being said, I think the race for the NFC East crown is going to be pretty close. It might come down to something like the common games tiebreaker.
Whether they win the division or not, I do believe in the Eagles’ ability to make another Super Bowl push. They undoubtedly lost some important players talent but Howie Roseman did a nice job of adding to the roster as well. And there’s something to be said for being hungry after coming as close to another Vince Lombardi Trophy as they did.
FINAL RECORD: 12-5
A slight step back from last year’s historic 14-3 finish but still one of the very best teams in the NFL. The Eagles have staying power with Jalen Hurts leading the way but he’ll need his teammates to do their part.
The stretch from Week 11 to Week 15 looks especially tough. The Birds better rest up during the bye!
Poll
What’s your record prediction for the 2023 Eagles?
This poll is closed
-
18%
14-3 or better
(1193 votes) -
38%
13-4
(2514 votes) -
23%
12-5
(1560 votes) -
15%
11-6
(1017 votes) -
2%
10-7
(180 votes) -
0%
9-8
(36 votes) -
0%
8-9 or worse
(51 votes)
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