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Philadelphia Eagles 2016 schedule preview: Examining the AFC North

By Geoffrey Knox

Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) at the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter in a AFC Divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) at the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter in a AFC Divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to play their out of conference games against the AFC North, and in the minds of many, that isn’t anything to get excited about.

With there still being some time before training camp begins (it seems like six months since mandatory camps ended), many a Philadelphia Eagles fan has reached the point of being somewhere between football withdrawal and having a serious need to be placed in some sort of rehab program. Talks of personnel, contracts, trades and coaches have subsided for the most part, and attention has now shifted back to the most important part of why all of this stuff happens. There’s a game to be played.

Most of you know this, but each team’s schedule is constructed the same way. There are six games against the other three members of your division (one at home and once in their stadium). Each team plays all four members of two other divisions (one from the AFC and one from the NFC). The other two games are determined by where the team finished the prior year. Those games are played in conference and against two teams from the other two divisions that each team isn’t scheduled to play. The teams that finished in first place in their division will play one another. The teams that finished in second place will play one another and so on and so forth.

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After going 3-1 against the AFC East in 2015, fans are hoping the Eagles can duplicate or achieve a better result in 2016 against the AFC North. There’s a few reasons to be concerned though. That means a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and road games against both the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. Things aren’t going to be easy.

Pittsburgh comes to town in week three of the regular season. As an Eagles fan, you have to hope they haven’t gotten into a groove or picked up steam by then. Still, Ben Roethlisberger will be behind center, and that means they’ll be in better shape than the Eagles at that position regardless of who they trot out (most likely Sam Bradford if he isn’t already hurt by that time).

The Eagles travel to Baltimore in week 15, and even though that and the opening game at home against the Cleveland Browns are viewed by many as their most winnable games against this division, the Eagles have traditionally struggled against both the Ravens and against good quarterbacks even if they’re on bad teams. This won’t be a walk through by any means as the Eagles look to buck their recent trend of late season collapses. Two weeks prior to the game in Baltimore, we’ll already have the result of their game in Cincinnati. There aren’t many who are forecasting an Eagles victory in that one. The Bengals have been great at home under head coach Marvin Lewis.

Related Story: Philadelphia Eagles: Early thoughts about week one of the 2016 season

When it’s all said and done, look for some frustrating moments in all four of these games. There’s not much of a reason to believe they aren’t talented enough to get by the Browns in the opener, but past that, the other three games are very scary.

Prediction: 2-2 versus the AFC North (wins in their games against Cleveland and Baltimore and losses against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh)

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