The Philadelphia Eagles sit alone at the top of the league with an 8-1 record thus far this season. While they have sparingly looked dominant this year, the Eagles have still been able to close out games and wins. It’s safe to say they have shown the ability to grind out ugly games and win games they don’t play up to their standards. While fans will always look for improvement and ways to play better, the Eagles have shown a lot about how they can simply just outclass many of the teams in the league most of the time. Whether it be mistakes against the Washington Commanders or the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles have proven their talent can make up for some of the costly mistakes.
However, the real tests for the Eagles lie ahead in a brutally tough stretch of games following the bye. Whether they can still get away with the mistakes they have been making remains to be seen. Either way, getting through the next stretch of the games for the Eagles will tell a lot about them as a team. They are already the best team in the league as of now but have not quite lived up to the many dominant performances they had last year. Getting through the tough stretch of the Eagles schedule will be important, but every fan will want to see consistent, steady performances before going into the playoffs.
Looking at the Final Stretch of the Eagles Schedule
The Slog of the Eagles Schedule
Weeks 11-14
Vs. Buffalo Bills
This stretch seems a little easier due to recent performances, but the difficulty of these four weeks is unquestionable. First, a Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs coming off the bye week. The Chiefs are coming off a bye week as well and Head Coach Andy Reid has quite the resume off of bye weeks. Then, after Patrick Mahomes, they get the luxury of going against another superstar in Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Just add in two more conference and division rivals in the 49ers and the Cowboys and you get one of the hardest stretches of games for any team in the league.
The biggest and most important games at hand are the Chiefs and the 49ers. Super Bowl rematches always add an extra layer of hype for the players leading up. The Chiefs have struggled at times to find consistent production from other offensive weapons besides Travis Kelce. Yet, their defense has been excellent throughout the season and gives trouble to any offense. The 49ers are dwindling as of late but have the type of core that has made the Eagles struggle at times. The 49ers are still loaded with playmakers, like the Commanders who have given trouble to the Eagles this year. With Kyle Shannahan, it could be another poor performance for the Eagles Secondary. The Bills and Cowboys are no slouches either but are better matchups on the Eagles schedule than the other two. Though, it would be very impressive if the Eagles were able to escape unscathed.
The Primer for the Playoffs
Weeks 15-18
Vs. New York Giants
@ New York Giants
After the brutal stretch, the Eagles don’t necessarily get a break, but their schedule becomes much easier. The Seahawks are a good team with some flaws and playing them at the back end of the previous four games will be hard. They are another team filled with playmakers, however, lack the defensive and offensive fronts needed to contain the Eagles. The last four weeks include two meetings against division rival the New York Giants, who are not necessarily in the best of spirits right now. Jammed in between those two meetings is a game against former Eagles defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, and the Arizona Cardinals. Aside from the Seahawks, the Eagles get to close out the regular season by playing two of the worst teams in the league.
If the Eagles do well enough in the first five weeks off their bye, they can have the luxury of potentially being able to coast a little more into the postseason. Having a little mental reset could certainly benefit the Eagles after the slog of their schedule. However, it will also be a good opportunity for the Eagles to put up dominant performances ahead of a potential playoff run. No matter the results from weeks 11-15, being able to put up some dominant performances can be a great confidence builder heading into the playoffs with as much pressure as they have. The Eagles schedule is tough, and it’s unreasonable to expect them to run the table. However, if they can just be better in limiting mistakes offensively and defensively and maybe add in a few more dominant performances, fans really cannot ask for anything else.
Main Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
