Eagles 2016 schedule preview: Examining the NFC North

The Philadelphia Eagles and their NFC East cohorts are slated for games against the teams of the NFC North, but you may be surprised about which games are going to end up as losses.

The entire fan base of the Philadelphia Eagles is on pins and needles. Now that it’s time to put some pads on, the focus has turned from contracts, rookie quarterbacks who won’t suit up and who you should and shouldn’t trade. Now it’s about the reason we all show up for this unbelievable product that we call the NFL: the games themselves.

Thanks to the rotating schedule, the teams of the NFC East face the teams of the NFC North, and now we surround ourselves with our fellow pigskin aficionados, schedule in hand, to give our expert analysis on what will and won’t happen once the games begin to count for real. Ladies and gentlemen, football season is approaching, and the excitement of Eagles football has reached a fever pitch. Let’s examine their games versus the NFC North.

Next: 5 Reasons the Philadelphia Eagles will win the NFC East in 2016

Chicago Bears:

Monday, September 19th

Historically, this game has normally been a problem for the Eagles. Now, there aren’t many players on either roster that are old enough to remember the on-field history between these teams, but weird things happen to Philadelphia when these two lock up. Running back Matt Forte is gone which makes tight end Zach Miller and Alshon Jeffery their biggest threats on offense. Jeremy Langford could be a star at running back, but we’ll see. He’s never been the feature. The Eagles should have enough fire power on offense and should be able to make enough plays of defense to come out on top, but they probably won’t.

Detroit Lions:

Sunday, October 9th

At this point of the season, the Eagles will be coming off a bye which follows a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers which will probably be a loss. The Eagles will have this one circled and revenge on their minds as they seek to avenge an embarrassing Thanksgiving Day loss from a season ago. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson is gone, their underachieving head coach Jim Caldwell is still there, and many of us aren’t sure why. Look for the Eagles to play lights out as they’ll want to win this for defensive coordinator and former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz.

Minnesota Vikings:

Sunday, October 23rd

From October 16th to November 6th the Eagles play three divisional games, and this Vikings game will be tucked in between the road games against the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. This just feels like a loss for so many reasons.

Green Bay Packers:

Monday November 28th

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The Eagles play the Seattle Seahawks, the Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals in succession and they will be the underdog in every single game. Here’s the controversial statement of the year. Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest talents we’ve ever seen at quarterback, but he may not have a “clutch gene”.

Outside of one Super Bowl run in the playoffs, his is a career of early playoff departures when the Packers were picked to win it all, hot regular season starts that are followed by cool finishes and the inability to elevate teammates and himself in bigger games. Rodgers is a hall-of-fame caliber quarterback already. He just may not have that extra gear when he needs to be better in more important games.

With that being said, expect the Packers, again, to get off to a hot start in 2016 and cool off by November. Pencil this in as a surprise win for Philadelphia.

Prediction: 2-2 versus the NFC North (wins in their games against the Packers and Lions and losses against the Vikings and the Bears)

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Philadelphia Eagles 2016 schedule preview: Examining the NFC North

By Geoffrey Knox | Jul 9, 2016

The Philadelphia Eagles and their NFC East cohorts are slated for games against the teams of the NFC North, but you may be surprised about which games are going to end up as losses.

More from Inside the Iggles