Important Bye Week For Eagles With Challenging Schedule Waiting On Other Side

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles sit comfortably atop the NFC East at 6-2 as they head into their bye week, looking like they will become the first back-to-back division champs since Eagles teams of yesteryear had a run of four straight titles from 2001-04. That’s an amazing 20 straight years with different champs.

There are no easy roads in the NFL, however, and this year, it won’t be easy, either. Not with a challenging schedule coming out on the other side of the bye. Not that the schedule has been easy so far, with a combined record of the teams they have played so far being 30-23-1.

“This is a really important week,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “We've benefited from this week in the past, whether that be going into playoffs or whether it's in the regular season. It's that same motivation and same hunger to do everything that we can do to help improve the football team.

“For players, it's about being away, resting their bodies, taking care of their bodies, doing some extra stuff themselves as far as their mental preparation for the rest of the season. I always think that this bye week sets you up for some things for the rest of the season, so it's really an important week.”

The first three games waiting on the other side will be against the Packers in Green Bay followed by a home game against the Lions and then a trip Dallas. The combined record of those teams is 13-7-1.

Only the Cowboys have a losing record among those three and they could even that with a home win on Monday night against the Cardinals. Give wins to the Packers at home against the Panthers this weekend and a win for the Lions at home against the Vikings and that combined record could be 16-7-1.

Super Bowl Preview On Other Side Of Bye?

Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson (2) makes a catch for a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

From there, it’s Bears at home, Chargers on the road, then the Raiders at home. Only Las Vegas has a losing record of those three. The Eagles finish with two games against their division rival Commanders, with a trip to snowy Buffalo to play the Bills sandwiched in between.

The game in Buffalo could be a Super Bowl preview if both teams live up to expectations over the final two months of the season.

The Week 5 bye did wonders for the Eagles last year when they went into it limping at 2-2 only to emerge and win 10 in a row.

This year, the bye comes later – Week 9. The record is better, and it’s encouraging that the Eagles played well for all four quarters heading into it, putting up points in each quarter, during a 38-20 win over the Giants on Sunday. They scored a season-high in points, and the defense held New York to just 246 yards.

“I don't think you can ever really say, ‘Hey, this is the perfect time for a bye,’ right?” said Sirianni. “Last year in 2024, Week (5) was our perfect time for the bye, and our mindset will be, ‘Hey, this year, this is our perfect time for a bye,’ and when we play the Friday afternoon game coming up, that would be a perfect time for a (Black) Friday night game.

“You handle every situation and control the things you can control. You can't control those other things. The bye week process, we just continue to evolve it. But I think that to say, ‘Hey, here's what I've learned in my past four years here,’ it really goes back, ‘What have I learned in my time in the NFL in these bye weeks?’”

What Sirianni has learned is evident by his record coming out of a bye. It is 4-0.

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