Eagles Schedule: Chance for 3-0 Start?

The Philadelphia Eagles have an opportunity to get off to a hot start this season.

The Philadelphia Eagles' 2023 schedule projects to be one of the most difficult in the NFL, particularly in the second half of the season. That makes hitting the ground running that much more imperative for coach Nick Sirianni's squad. 

Fortunately for the Eagles, they'll almost certainly be comfortable favorites in all three of their games in September. 

Emotions will be high at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro in Week 1, as the New England Patriots are set to honor retired quarterback Tom Brady prior to their season-opener against the Eagles. But while playing against a Bill Belichick-coordinated defense always gives you pause, their are still quite a few questions about the offense that coordinator Bill O'Brien is inheriting for the Patriots. There was a time where it would have been unthinkable to be road favorites in New England, but the Eagles are currently favored by 4.5 points in Week 1. 

It will be a quick turnaround for the Eagles four days later when they kick off Amazon Prime Video's Thursday Night Football slate by hosting the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. A season ago, the Eagles handily beat the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 2, 24-7. It was one of just four games the Vikings would lose in Kevin O'Connell's first season as coach. 

At the same time, the Vikings went 13-4 with a -3 point differential, and living on the edge caught up to them when they were upset by the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card Round. No one is suggesting that the Vikings will be doormats in 2023, but after moving on from running back Dalvin Cook in the offseason, it's entirely possible they'll be more like a .500 team, give or take, in 2023. 

If the Eagles make in through their first two games unscathed, Week 3 should be their easiest September matchup, as they travel to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers. Granted, the Florida heat can absolutely play a factor in September, which the Eagles found out the hard way in the 2018 season. But the Buccaneers were underwhelming last season with Brady as their quarterback. Baker Mayfield may very well revive his career in Tampa Bay, but he's still a downgrade from even a 45-year-old Brady. 

As mentioned above, the Eagles second-half slate looks like a gauntlet, including a four-week stretch with matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. So banking some wins early -- especially if the Eagles have visions of earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the second year in a row -- will be crucial. And the Eagles are set up well to do just that in the first month of the season. 

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