3 ways the NFL screwed Eagles with 2024 schedule

The 2024 NFL schedule wasn't especially kind to the Philadelphia Eagles. Though their strength of schedule is technically easier than it was last season, the league still found several ways to make things difficult for Philadelphia in the upcoming campaign.

Here's a look at three ways that the NFL screwed the Eagles with the 2024 schedule.

An international game. . . in Week 1

The Eagles will open up the 2024 campaign by being the designated home team in the first-ever game in São Paulo, Brazil. The game will take place on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, and the Eagles will square off against the Green Bay Packers in the contest. It will be the first time the NFL has played a game on Friday night of Week 1 since 1970. That's a good amount of travel at the very beginning of the season.

International games provide an excellent opportunity for fans in other countries to get to see their favorite teams and players in person, but they can prove challenging for the participating teams, travel-wise. Also, since the Eagles are technically the home team for the game, that means there will be one less game held at Lincoln Financial Field next season, which is an understandable disappointment for many fans in Philly.

The bye week is too early

Philadelphia's bye week will come during Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season -- that's extremely early. The Eagles will have only played four games at that point, which means that they'll have to play 13 consecutive games after the bye. That's a long stretch of games without a break. It's like telling someone to towel off after just dipping a toe into the pool as opposed to allowing them to jump all the way in.

Ideally, a bye week would come a little later in the season after the team has endured some wear-and-tear and is collectively banged up. Instead, the Eagles will get an early rest and have to hope that they can hold up for the rest of the season after the bye.

A difficult AFC division matchup

Every year, the Eagles play one AFC division in its entirety. This year, that division is the AFC North, which is a tough draw for Philadelphia. Last season, all four teams in the AFC North finished the season with a winning record, and three of the teams -- the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers -- made the playoffs.

The only team in the division that didn't qualify for postseason play was the Cincinnati Bengals, who were without quarterback Joe Burrow for the final stretch of the season and still finished with a 9-8 record.

All of the teams in the AFC North project to be in the playoff picture again in 2024. Burrow should be healthy, the Steelers improved at quarterback by adding Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Baltimore added Derrick Henry to an already-dynamic ground game, and Deshaun Watson should be available for more games for Cleveland. None of those games will be easy for the Eagles.