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Philadelphia Eagles 2016 schedule preview: Examining the NFC East

By Geoffrey Knox

May 25, 2016; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett looks over his team as they stretch during organized team activities at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett looks over his team as they stretch during organized team activities at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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As a new season for the Philadelphia Eagles approaches, don’t forget that the rivals are working too.

As they do every year, the Philadelphia Eagles will lock horns with their rivals in the NFC East over the course of six games, and that will, most likely, decide the fate of the division.

The NFL truly thinks of everything, and that’s why they have consistently put out a product that’s better than anything any other professional sport has to offer. To name all the reasons that football rules the roost would require another article. Instead, let’s focus on one of those important components of pro football’s success: the schedule.

Related Story: Philadelphia Eagles 2016 schedule preview: Examining the AFC North

Rather than have the majority of the league enter the final few games of their season with nothing to play for, the NFL, a few years ago, decided to change it up a little. Now, teams conclude with games against their division rivals. The result? There’s normally been something to play for or a division title on the line.

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As they do every year, the Eagles meet the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Redskins twice during the regular season, and those six games will most likely determine who makes their way into the playoffs. Controlling the division is typically the easiest route to the post-season, and it’s honestly what made former head coach Andy Reid so successful. New head coach Doug Pederson, a Reid disciple, will need to master that same formula in order to achieve similar success.

Here’s what we know. None of these teams have spent the off-season idle, and you probably shouldn’t allow yourself to believe that they’ve just been watching what the Eagles have been doing and forgot to make improvements to their own teams. Still, over the last decade or so, things have played out the same way and there’s no reason to believe they’ll change now.

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As far as what to expect, the Eagles have typically had the Giants number, and they should continue to do so this year. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants hung a loss on them. Typically when the Eagles have played the Cowboys, they’ve won, but there have been a few snafus here and there. They’ve been blown out in successive weeks in the last two games Donovan McNabb would play in the team colors (the final game of the season and a wild-card playoff game the next week), but typically, when the Eagles have lost to the Cowboys, it was more of a case of not playing well and not doing enough to win rather than just being beaten. Think about their home loss to Dallas last year. They played horribly, and still had a shot for the better part of the game.

Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) and defensive end Cedric Thornton (72) hit Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) and defensive end Cedric Thornton (72) hit Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

The Redskins, on the other hand, are another story. They’ve physically beaten this team up the last three times their paths crossed and are in the midst of a winning streak. If you’re an Eagles fan, you’d have to hope that the aging skill players on the Redskins’ roster and the additions the Eagles have made on defense are enough to turn the tide and neutralize quarterback Kirk Cousins. Yes, the Redskins have added cornerback Josh Norman, but he doesn’t seem to be a fit for their scheme and probably won’t have the type of year in 2016 that he had in 2015. He was added to a secondary that can’t stop anyone consistently which is exactly why they signed him in the first place and drafted safety Su’a Cravens and cornerback Kendall Fuller. They absolutely don’t like what they’re seeing from their secondary.

When it’s all said and done expect the Eagles to win the NFC East by winning that extra game or two that’s eluded them in years past.

Prediction: 4-2 versus the NFC East (wins over the Cowboys and Redskins at home, losses to the Cowboys and Redskins on the road and a season sweep over the Giants)

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