NFL Schedule Release: Eagles Face League's Toughest Slate
The Philadelphia Eagles face a tough task in defending their NFC crown in 2023.
The NFL will release its schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday, but each team's opponents have been known for a while now. And with that knowledge, it's easy to determine which teams have the hardest and easiest schedules.
Notably, the Eagles face the hardest schedule in the league with their opponents' win percentage at .566. There is a sizable gap between them and the team with the second-hardest schedule, the Miami Dolphins with an opposing win percentage of .554.
Philadelphia plays 11 of its 17 games against teams that made the playoffs in 2022. That includes two games each against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Eagles will also have rematches of Super Bowl LVII and the NFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, respectively, and face another perennial contender in the Buffalo Bills. While some of those playoff teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings might take a step back this season, this is still a very difficult slate.
Even some of the Eagles' games against non-playoff teams won't come easy. The New England Patriots and Washington Commanders came within a game of making the playoffs, and the New York Jets look much improved with the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
On the other side of the coin, the Atlanta Falcons face the league's easiest schedule with an opposing win percentage of .417. The six teams with the easiest schedules al come from the AFC South and NFC South, which produced only one team with a winning record combined last season.
With the way the NFL formats its schedule, it makes sense that the Eagles' schedule is so tough. As they say, though, you have to beat the best to be the best, and the Eagles seem ready for that challenge.
You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.
Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here