Final takeaways from the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles schedule
By Matt Giraldi
The 2017 Philadelphia Eagles schedule has already been analyzed, mocked, and predicted through December 31st. Well, nothing exceeds like excess.
Before we begin, let’s all declare that predicting wins and losses from the Eagles schedule in April is like predicting the next Donald Trump tweet. September 10th’s game between the Eagles and Washington Redskins might as well be ten years from now. While the teams will change between now and then, certain aspects of the schedule will continue to remain constant.
The Eagles had an impressive 6-2 record at home last season. Unfortunately for the Eagles, only two of the first six games are located at home. Now might not be the time to remind everyone that the Eagles went 1-7 on the road last year. Appearing twice as bad is the fact that the Eagles schedule has them opening up in Washington. The Redskins have won five straight games against the Eagles, with the average margin of victory being 6.4 points, but the Redskins only won one game by more than five points.
There are three games on the West Coast on the Eagles schedule. Ideally, the Eagles could have gotten the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams on back-to-back weeks. Alas, the Eagles get the Seattle Seahawks and the Rams in subsequent weeks in the middle of December. The distance from Seattle to Los Angeles is only 35 more miles than Philadelphia to Miami. Consider that from Week 12 to Week 15, the Eagles will travel approximately 6,750 miles.
Next: 5 Can't Miss Eagles Games Of 2017
More from Eagles News
- Eagles captains earn high praise on roster blending veteran leadership, youth
- How former Eagles star Cre’Von LeBlanc helped Renegades upstage Cowboys
- Eagles 2023 schedule: Every WR duo Darius Slay, James Bradberry will battle
- Imagining better names for Jason Kelce’s Good Guy Award
- Bold predictions for the Philadelphia Eagles offense in 2023
A blessing and a curse in the scheduling lies with the AFC West division. Doug Pederson gets to face his mentor Andy Reid right out of the gates in Week Two. Of the nine games before the bye week, the Eagles play three non-conference games. Regardless of the Eagles record at the bye, they will have the opportunity to make up ground in the NFC after the bye week. This means a slow start might not be crippling, particularly if a majority of the losses involve AFC teams.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the schedule is that the Eagles do not have back-to-back division games. That simply does not happen often, if ever. As a result, the Eagles schedule has given them a major leg-up on the competition.
The time for offseason speculation is nearing an end. Following the NFL Draft this upcoming weekend, the hustle and bustle will officially become an object in the rear view mirror. Besides, there’s no real need to make hypothetical picks when we all know the Eagles are going to go 16-0 this upcoming season anyways.