Philadelphia Eagles: 6 Matchups to watch versus NFC West opponents
By Hunter Doyle
The Philadelphia Eagles’ four games versus the NFC West are interesting.
The Philadelphia Eagles are just weeks away from meeting for training camp (hopefully) to help them prepare for a 2020 schedule that is going to be a difficult one to navigate. The “Birds” will face five teams that made the playoffs in 2019, and they have nine games versus teams who finished the 2019 campaign with a .500 record or better, not to mention the teams they will face that are trying to get out of the rebuilding phase and compete for a playoff spot.
One of the most challenging aspects of the season will be how the Eagles can perform versus the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers were 13-3 a season ago and came within a quarter of winning the Super Bowl before Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs offense exploded. The Seattle Seahawks went 11-5 and finished one yard short of a division title and a first-round bye on Sunday Night Football in Week 17. They have had the Eagles’ number as of late, and they defeated Philly twice last year including a Wild Card Game win before they dropped a close one to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round.
The Los Angeles Rams finished 9-7, just one win shy of a playoff berth. They might’ve had a chance to make the postseason if not for the blown coverage on 3rd and 17 play versus the 49ers in Week 16. Lastly, there’s the Arizona Cardinals who compiled a record of just 5-10-1, but they acquired DeAndre Hopkins for next to nothing and had Isaiah Simmons fall into their laps on draft night. They’re also hoping that Kyler Murray takes big steps forward in his sophomore year.
All four of these teams bring something different to the table. None of them are going to make it easy on the Eagles. Philly cannot get off to a slow start against any of them. With how competitive these teams are expected to be this year, let’s take a look at some of the key matchups to highlight in these games.