Eagles Schedule: Storylines For Each Game, From Saquon Barkley To Jonathan Greenard

Here is an early look at each game, and though wins and losses aren't listed, this feels like.a team that can three-peat in the NFC East.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

The Eagles look like a 12-win team. Maybe 13 with some luck, maybe 11 with some bad luck, but a good bet to three-peat as NFC East champions. Until they have an actual practice, however, there won’t be any wins and losses listed here.

Their roster is solid, and the offseason was strong with the Eagles adding a grade-A pass rusher in Jonathan Greenard, an out-to-prove himself cornerback in Riq Woolen, and two top draft picks in receiver Makai Lemon and tight end Eli Stowers.

Here are some early storylines.

Week 1 vs. Commanders.

This would be a good game for Saquon Barkley to remind everyone that he will be the 2024 version that set an NFL record with 2,504 yards rushing and 13 games with at least 100 yards, and two with more than 200, and not the 2025 version that had just three 100-yard rushing games and 1,140 yards.

Barkley has run roughshod over the Commanders in four games against them since joining the Eagles, including the NFC Championship Game blowout, with 546 yards and eight touchdowns.

Week 2 at Titans. If this is a make-or-break year for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, then this will be a good test for him against a Titans defense that was near the top of the league in yards with 230 allowed per game, and their defensive pressure rate of 34.9 percent was the best in the NFL. Still, the Titans surrendered 30 passing touchdowns.

Week 3 at Bears. This is a beautiful time to visit the Windy City if you’re a fan, maybe not so much for the Eagles. The Bears put a hurting on the Eagles in last year’s Black Friday game at the Linc, winning 24-15 and have won 30 of the 46 games in the all-time series.

Week 4 vs. Rams. The Eagles have dominated the Rams, whether they were in L.A. or St. Louis having won the last four meetings and 11 of the last 12 dating back to 2004.

Could Eagles Rookie Be Blasting Off By Now?

Eli Stowers meets reporters on the eve of the Eagles rookie minicamp. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Week 5 vs. Jaguars (London). The Eagles' last trip to England resulted in a 24-18 win over the Jags at Wembley Stadium, when Carson Wentz threw three touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert, Wendell Smallwood, and Zach Ertz. This game will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Goedert is still here, but by now, Stowers’ role could be growing.

Week 6 vs. Panthers. This might have been a good spot to give the Eagles a bye, but hey, the Jags didn’t get one, either this week. The Panthers were a playoff team last year, but was it a mirage? They will enter this game off a bye week, the first of four teams the Eagles will face after a bye. We should also have a good idea at this point if the Eagles’ offensive line has managed to remain healthy and put last year’s disappointing performance behind them.

Week 7 vs. Cowboys. This game could be the start of separation time in the division, with the first of three straight games against the NFC East. The Cowboys will be playing their third road game in four weeks, with visits to the Texans and Packers behind them, and a month after they get back from playing in Rio de Janeiro against the Ravens. It’s a brutal stretch that the Eagles, who have won four of their last home games against the Cowboys, should be able to capitalize on.

Week 8 at Commanders. The Commanders come in off their bye. Last year, these two teams played twice in three weeks at the end of the season, and it didn’t feel right. The spacing is better this time around. Washington linebacker Sonny Styles could be in the running for defensive rookie of the year by now.

Week 9 vs. Giants. The Eagles will play a second straight game – and third already – against a team entering refreshed from a bye. What will John Harbaugh’s team look like by now, with a defense that should, on paper, at least, be one of the best in the NFL? Of course, the Eagles should be in that conversation as well. My guess is Greenard will be the team’s sack leader at this point with, let’s say, seven.

Week 10: BYE

Week 11 vs. Steelers. It’s mid-May, and the Steelers have no idea if quarterback Aaron Rodgers is coming back. It shouldn’t matter if he does or doesn’t. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is 5-0 coming out of bye weeks.

Week 12 at Cowboys (Thanksgiving). If you’re doing wins and losses, this one feels like an L.

Week 13 at Cardinals. Eagles emerge from a mini-bye against a team they have struggled against recently, who added running back Jeremiyah Love. It’s their first trip back to the stadium where they lost Super Bowl LVII. Maybe the field will be less slippery this time.

DeVona Smith Could Be Tested In Week 14

Receivers DeVonta Smith and Terrace Marshall did not practice on Thursday, Day 6 of Eagles training camp. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Week 14 vs. Colts. Former Eagles OC Shane Steichen brings his Colts to town off their bye week, or will he? He enters the year on the hot seat. If Indy isn’t having the kind of season expected – playoffs or bust – Steichen may already be out the door. This will be a good matchup for DeVonta Smith, who will likely draw Sauce Gardner.

Week 15 vs. Seahawks. Seattle could be finding out by now just how difficult it is to repeat as Super Bowl champions. It will be interesting to see if Woolen has regained his rookie form enough to make his appearance against the team that drafted him noteworthy.

Week 16 vs. Texans (Christmas Eve). This is the second short week in a month, which is bad scheduling by the NFL, but at least it will be at least three weeks since the Eagles had to play on the road. This game could end 10-7 with two tough defenses carrying the day.

Week 17 at 49ers. Uninspiring drafts the past couple of years could hurt this team more than anyone knows this season. Or not. The Eagles will have a mini-bye to get ready to try to avenge last year’s disappointing playoff loss at home. The Niners are well-coached, but by this point in the season, will Christian McCaffrey still be healthy?

Week at Giants. Will this game actually mean something for the Giants for the first time in forever? It might not be for the Eagles. Their playoff seeding could already be locked up.