Three Eagles Matchups We Wish Were on 2023 Schedule
Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles learned their full 2023 regular season schedule, a slate that, in addition to each NFC East team, includes matchups with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.
Still, there are a few teams not on the 2023 schedule that would have been intriguing matchups for the defending NFC Champions. Here's three:
Cincinnati Bengals
The Eagles don't exactly have a soft schedule in 2023, so from a seeding perspective, it's probably a good thing that the Bengals aren't a regular-season opponent. The last time that the two teams met was in Week 3 of the 2020 season, an ugly game that ultimately ended in a 23-23 tie. Carson Wentz threw two interceptions for the Eagles. Joe Burrow was in his rookie season, with former collegiate teammate Ja'Marr Chase not having rejoined him on the Bengals just yet. And Jalen Hurts was on the sideline, a perplexing second-round pick without an obvious path to starting in the NFL. My how things have changed.
Indianapolis Colts
The Eagles will see the Colts in Week 3 of the preseason, but aren't slated to meet with Indianapolis in a game that actually counts. Former Eagles offense coordinator Shane Steichen is entering his first year as head coach of the Colts. And if former Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew isn't under center to open the season for Indym it's because No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson -- who seems to have a superstar ceiling -- is.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Eagles overcame a 14-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter to defeat the Jaguars 29-21 in a rain-soaked contest last October. Jacksonville -- in their first year under former Eagles Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson -- went 9-8, enough to win the lowly AFC South. They eventually pulled off one of the greatest postseason comebacks in NFL history against the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card Weekend. Pederson and Trevor Lawrence have set the Jaguars up to be one of the league's best teams over the next half decade. Perhaps Lawrence and Hurts will eventually meet in a Super Bowl matchup.
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