Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t take their remaining schedule lightly

Don’t underestimate the remainder of the Philadelphia Eagles schedule if you’re a fan or a member of the media.

Many are picking the Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East thanks to their ‘easy’ stretch at the end of their schedule. Philly can’t afford to take things as lightly as everyone else seems to be though. With the Dallas Cowboys falling to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving, many analysts and fans alike have assumed that because the Cowboys’ strength of schedule to end the season appears to be a more difficult stretch of games than the Eagles will see, Philadelphia should win the NFC East and make the playoffs.

Let’s look at the schedule.

Yes, the Week 14 game versus the Miami Dolphins is a game the Eagles should win, but their head coach, Brian Flores, has them playing very hard and in some close games. Flores might be exhibiting one of the most underrated head-coaching jobs in the NFL. The Eagles should win, but they can’t walk in assuming they will.

The argument has been a lot of the current roster is still riding high from the Super Bowl win two years ago, and as a result, the Eagles have been up and down, often playing to the level of their competition. Something else should be kept in mind as well. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick carved up the Eagles last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The rest of the Eagles schedule consists of division games. The New York Giants and Washington Redskins should provide easy wins, but the Eagles don’t have the luxury of assuming they will be.

Division games are always dogfights since the teams know each other so well. Not only that, both the Redskins and Giants have nothing to play for. Nothing is more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose. Philly’s Week 16 showdown against the Cowboys will, more likely than not, be for the division, and while the first matchup this season was a one-sided Eagles loss, it’ll help that the game will be at Lincoln Financial Field and the Eagles should be healthier on defense.

Another thing to consider is that three of the final five games are on the road, which means the Eagles will need to be even more prepared.

Philadelphia needs to take this one game at a time. They need to worry about handling their own business and ignore what’s going on with Dallas, even if they are nosediving. All the Eagles need to do now is focus on beating the Dolphins, another team with nothing to lose. If they do that, they’re one step closer to the playoffs.