It may be a little early to start thinking about the 2014 season, but looking over the teams that the Eagles will face, Chip Kelly and the Birds may certainly have their work cut out for them.
In addition to the games against the division rivals, the Eagles will face Carolina, Jacksonville, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tennessee at home and Arizona, Green Bay, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and Houston on the road.
Obviously each of those teams are going to undergo some changes between now and when the Eagles face them, but on paper this looks like a very difficult schedule.
They’ve got to face three top-10 quarterbacks in Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick, and Aaron Rodgers on the road. Houston went through a miserable season this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them bounce back and become relevant again. A west-coast trip to Arizona is never easy.
The positive side of these opponents is that the Eagles have a very favorable home schedule. Facing the Seahawks here instead of Seattle is huge. The Jaguars, Rams, and Titans should all be improved in 2014, but certainly should be games that the Eagles win.
The Eagles also will have the benefit of playing six games against the weak NFC East. Dallas seems to doomed to remain dangerous but ultimately flawed and mediocre. The Giants and Redskins have some serious rebuilding to do, and Washington will have to do it without a first-round pick thanks to the Robert Griffin trade.
As long as the Eagles take care of business at home and within the division, I see no reason why they shouldn’t return to the playoffs next year.
DB, gotta face QB’s like Rodgers, Luck, Wilson, Kapernick, a healthy RGIII (twice), a possible bounce back for Manning & Blwmo (both can’t be as putrid as this year), & good-great defenses in teams, such as Seattle, Carolina, SF, Houston, Tennessee, Colts, so it isn’t going to be a cake walk, nor as cut & dry as you make it sound to be, to be playoff write-ins. I hope you’re right, but I want to see what our off-season ends up like, & what the other teams do, before making such bold predictions.
Paulman Predicts the Eagles have 16 Games Next Season
3 National Games (Seahwaks at home on a Sunday Night game and the 49ers on a Monday night on the Road) .. I also See a Thursday game at Home versus the Panthers on the NFL Network..
Also I am calling for a Visit to Dallas for Thanksgiving Game on National TV..
Damn on first glance that is a very tough schedule… Well as they say no easy games in nfl
Arizona, GB, Indy and SF on the road. A lot can change in a year but that is rough.
Fast Forward to May of 2015
“And with the #1 Pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles
Select QB Marcus Mariotta from the University of Oregon…
The Oakland Raiders are now on the Clock”….
I could see that happening. That’s the one QB I could see the Eagles saying…lets trade Nick to get value so we can get Mariota. I wanted him this year.