Heat Check: Checking the Level of Concern for Each Game on the Eagles’ 2020 Schedule
The NFL recently released the 2020 schedule for all 32 teams.
So you know what that means?
Time for the annual opportunity to tell anyone who will listen why the Eagles will go 16–0, dominating the NFC East and the NFL en route to another Lombardi trophy.
With changes on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the Eagles will look to push their streak of consecutive seasons with a playoff appearance to four.
With the travel path now laid out, we take a look at just how difficult this year’s schedule is for the Eagles.
Week 1: @ Washington Redskins
The Eagles will probably win this game. With the uncertainty surrounding OTAs, training camps, and anything else team building related, it’s hard to see a team with a new head coach and a lack of time to implement a system will see any improvement to start the season. While the Eagles have a few new pieces of their own, they have a much better sense of consistency compared to the rest of the division, being the only team with a returning head coach.
The matchup to watch will be how Andre Dillard holds his own when matched up against number two overall pick Chase Young. As we know Young was the best overall prospect in the class and will more than likely be a nuance to Carson Wentz for the next decade. This will be a good chance for Philadelphia to identify just how much their former first-round pick has progressed.
Temperature: Cold
Week 2: vs Los Angeles Rams
The Rams certainly aren’t taking steps in the right direction. After going all-in on the 2018 season, rightly so as the gamble got the team to the Super Bowl, a loss I might add. The Rams now look to find a way to refurbish the team, the question is how? The team didn’t have much in terms of the salary cap and the little bit they do have is probably going towards a Jalen Ramsey extension *see Cory Littleton being allowed to walk*. Speaking of Ramsey, Los Angeles traded their first-round pick in this year’s draft *whispers*’ next year’s first also, to the Jaguars in order to acquire the all-pro cornerback.
Oh did we forget to mention the team also parted ways with Brandin Cooks, Todd Gurley, Nickell Roby-Coleman, and Clay Mathews? Needless to say with a lack of resources the Rams have their work cut out for them heading into the season. Let the record show that the Philadelphia Eagles have won there last six meetings against the Rams and seven of the last eight datings back to 2002. Don’t be afraid to chalk this up as another one.
Temperature: Cold
Week 3: vs Cincinnati Bengals
Ahh the rookie season of the franchise quarterback, there’s nothing like it. So much optimism surrounding the player, so much hope to surround the future of the team. Kind of reminds you of the wild 2016 season doesn’t it? I mean despite all of the ups and downs of the year, we entered the season wondering if Carson Wentz had what it takes to last in Philadelphia and left it salivating over the prospects of what could be. That’s the exact position the Cincinnati Bengals are in right now. Joe Burrow is a stud, after putting together what could be considered the greatest season for a college quarterback, the LSU product now takes his talents back to his home state of Ohio.
The Bengals have a bright future with Mixon, Higgins, and Boyd in the fold for Burrow to lean on, it’s going to be fun watching Burrow and Lamar Jackson battle it out in the AFC North for years to come. Still, a rookie quarterback visiting the not so friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field, matching up against Jim Schwartz’ defense? Yeah right, good luck. The last time the Eagles started 3-0 was back in 2016, during Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson’s first season in Philadelphia. Barring an unforeseen setback up to this point, a favorable start to the schedule will allow the Eagles that exact opportunity.
Temperature: Cold
Week 4: @ San Francisco 49ers
Well ladies and gentlemen this is where things start to get really interesting. The Eagles traveling across the country to visit the reigning, defending NFC champions on Sunday Night Football! It doesn’t get much bigger than that. If the Eagles hadn’t been challenged yet up until now, they will be at this point. With the exception of the 33-10 beat down over the 49ers deliver during the 2017 Super Bowl campaign. The Eagles have not seen much success against Kyle Shanahan ran offenses whether in Washington or Atlanta.
While the success San Francisco sees on the ground is widely known. Philadelphia has a reputation of their own with there abilities to successfully defend the run. A simple case of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. It’s safe to assume that this game will fall on the shoulder of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Whether or not he’ll be up to the challenge remains to be seen.
Temperature: Hot
Week 5: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Eagles take a trip to see the in-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers. On paper this looks like a matchup Philadelphia can handle. However, a lot of this will fall on the shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger, after missing pretty much the entire 2019 campaign the Steelers quarterback makes his longly anticipated return back to the gridiron. At this point Roethlisberger will have knocked off some of the rust, however, it remains to be seen how the 38-year-old quarterback will look once he gets back on the field.
A second road game in as many weeks certainly doesn’t do the Eagles any favors. It will be interesting to see if the team is able to maintain focus, just days after a big NFC showdown. A couple of players to pay attention to during this game are Miles Sanders and Javon Hargrave; Sanders will be playing his first game as an NFL player in his hometown of Pittsburgh, while Hargrave gets the chance to play his first game at Heinz Field since the departure this offseason.
Temperature: Moderate
Week 6: vs Baltimore Ravens
Folks this might get ugly. The Eagles certainly don’t have a good track record containing mobile quarterbacks. Well ladies and gentlemen I give you the greatest athlete to grace a football field since the great Michael Vick. Fresh off an MVP campaign, the world awaits to see what Lamar Jackson has in store for an encore. Take into account the Ravens have 9 returning starters on offense, have added Ohio State standout running back JK Dobbins, along with Patrick Queen, Justin Mandibuike, and Malik Harrison on defense. Well, a really good football team just got better.
No need for a second paragraph here. The Eagles have one glimmering hope here and that is the fact that this game takes place in Philadelphia. Other than that it doesn’t look good. Let’s just hope it isn’t anything reminiscent of the 2008 game between these two squads.
Temperature: Hot
Week 7: vs New York Giants
Probably the best team for the Eagles to run into at this point. Give the team a chance to breathe after two tough opponents. While a division matchup certainly won’t be a cakewalk, the Giants aren’t in a position to compete with the Eagles at this point. The season will all about find out who wants to play football for the New York Giants for the foreseeable future. The hire of Joe Judge may be under the radar but it has the capabilities to prove to be a good hire for the Giants once the rebuild is completed.
The biggest component of the Giants’ season is making sure Daniel Jones takes the next step in his development. After taking OT Andrew Thomas out of Georgia with the fourth overall pick in the draft, it is obvious New York is invested in protecting their signal-caller who missed multiple games with a high ankle sprain. Still the Eagles should be able to have their way with a team searching for stability across the roster. It should be a fun way to spend a Thursday night for Eagles fans.
Temperature: Cold
Week 8: vs Dallas Cowboys
Let’s be honest how many people just skipped to this point? The first game that every player, fan, and coach identifies when the schedule is released. It’s Dallas Week! This game will say a lot about the NFC East, with both teams having played two divisional games up to this point, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this game was for first place in the division. Another prime time matchup is upon as the Eagles try to avenge the crushing Sunday Night Football loss of last year. The Eagles have a 3-5 record against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football dating back to 2012 and have lost the last two occasions.
While the new acquisition CeeDee Lamb is currently the talk of the town. It is highly unlikely that the Cowboys insert Amari Cooper or Michael Gallup into different roles and new head coach Mike McCarthy has shown during his previous stint as a head coach that his preferred personnel is 11 ( 3 WR- 1 TE- 1 RB). This means Lamb will more than likely spend most of his time in slot alignment which bolds well for Philadelphia as they have a couple of really good nickel backs in Cre’Von LeBlanc and Nickell Roby-Coleman. The last time the Cowboys came to Philadelphia it resulted in a loss that effectively eliminated them from playoff contention.
An 8:20 kickoff after a day of anticipation, Lincoln Financial Field is sure to be rocking.
Temperature: Hot
Week 9: BYE
You would think during a week without an opponent the heat check would be cold. However it is generally the unknown as to how the Eagles will look is like heading into the bye week. The outcome of the Cowboys game will say a lot about the mood heading into the BYE.
Temperature: Moderate
Week 10: @ New York Giants
For the second time in a month the Eagles will take on the Giants;’ this time in East Rutherford. At this point Philadelphia would be wise to stack up on victories over divisional opponents. This matchup will probably be closer than the first encounter as New York tends to play a much better game against the Eagles at home. Still not a game that should concern the Philadelphia.
Expect the Eagles vaunted defensive front to get after Daniel Jones and make life hard on him all day. With the secondary no longer having to worry about the ball continuously flying over their heads, the threat of Darius Slayton isn’t as intimidating as it seemed last season. If the Eagles can find a way to neutralize Saquon Barkley, who has amassed 389 rushing yards in four career games against Philadelphia, life should become much easier.
Temperature: Cold
Week 11: @ Cleveland Browns
The 6-10 finish to the 2019 NFL season was not a correct representation of what the Cleveland Browns truly are. While history may have something to say about this argument, the fact of the matter is the Browns roster is way too talented to be finishing third in the AFC North. While it surely isn’t ideal to be firing a head coach after just one season, the hire of former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski will prove to work wonders for the duo of Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry.
Actually the entire Browns offense should see a boost from the hire. After coming off a stellar second season, Nick Chubb is salivating the opportunity to continue to improve, especially after seeing the success Dalvin Cook had last year. Ultimately this Browns’ team will only go as far as quarterback Baker Mayfield takes them. If Cleveland has any hope of succeeding this season, they need Mayfield performing closer to how he did in 2018 than 2019. This offense will be an interesting test for a new look Eagles secondary, it will be interesting to see if Stefanski takes a similar approach as he did in Minnesota’s game plan from last years victory over Philadelphia. Certainly, a matchup to keep an eye on.
Temperature: Moderate
Week 12: vs Seattle Seahawks
Did somebody turn the heat up? As the Eagles begin arguably their most important stretch of games of the 2020 season. Beginning against the team that ended their 2019 campaign. Carson Wentz will surely be inspired to get revenge after a certain (former?) Seahawks defender that shall remain nameless, tomahawk slammed his helmet into Wentz’ head, causing him to miss the remainder of his playoff debut. While Russell Wilson looks to continue to insert his dominance over the team that passed on him back in the 2012 NFL draft.
A game against two NFC heavyweights that is sure to go down to the wire. The Seahawks have had the Eagles number as of late, but Jim Schwartz seems to be in the process that could rival the great 2017 unit. While the final score is most important and the big plays are exciting to watch, the most interesting part of this game will be the chess game between Russell Wilson and Jim Schwartz. How Schwartz will be able to contain Wilson remains to be seen, however, I do know that everyone in Lincoln Financial Field (if fans are allowed) will be on their feet at 4:25pm.
Temperature: Hot
Week 13: @ Green Bay Packers
Hold your horses everyone. I know that Eagles fans are feeling pretty confident in the team’s abilities to walk into Lambeau Field and come away with the victory. Especially after the team did just that last year on a Thursday in late September. Then when you take into account that the Packers had arguably the worst offseason in the league that included taking Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round; which is not the worst idea, but not the best when you have Aaron Rodgers lacking pass catchers.
So with everything we just discussed why exactly should the Eagles fear to go into Lambeau Field? Well for starters as we mentioned the last game took place at the end of September, this one will take place on December 6. I’m sure no one has to tell you what it feels like during this time in the middle of the “Frozen Tundra”. While it gets cold in Philadelphia, it is no match to how it gets in Wisconsin. Second, Aaron Rodgers has a record of 52-1-1 when leading by 10+ points at home. That one loss was the aforementioned Thursday night occurrence. If you know what I know about Aaron Rodgers forgiveness isn’t one of his strong suits. Take heed to this warning, the Aaron Rodgers revenge tour is coming to a city near you.
Temperature: Hotter
Week 14: vs New Orleans Saints
Talk about fighting your demons. Could there be a better team and a more fitting opponent for the Eagles to face in the final game of this stretch than the New Orleans Saints? The team that has been a thorn in the side of Philadelphia for years. I’m sure everyone remembers the words and actions of Alvin Kamara after each time the Saints defeated the Eagles. As fans we take mental notes, what do you think players do? And let’s face it has anyone ever really gotten over Sean Payton running up the score in the match up from two years ago?
In a sense this game is bigger than a matchup between to teams looking to be contenders in the NFC. Everyone this isn’t business it’s personal. Don’t let Malcolm Jenkins’ words fool you, there may not be any hard feelings or resentment towards the city of Philadelphia, but to Howie Roseman that may not be the same case. Don’t think for one minute Jenkins isn’t going to want to show Roseman and maybe even Schwartz what the team is now missing. There are too many backstories behind this for it to be an ordinary football game. This will be a sight to see folks, though it’s easy to assume the Eagles will get up for this matchup, it will be interesting to see how much the team has left after this brutal stretch.
Temperature: Hottest
Week 15: @ Arizona Cardinals
This is a typical trap game. An opponent who is expected to be greatly improved but not necessarily expected to be competitive at this point. In a game sandwiched in between New Orleans and Dallas, you can’t put it past the Eagles overlook a formidable foe. Quarterback Kyler Murray is a candidate to be the next quarterback to take the leap in year two following behind the trio of Wentz-Mahomes-Jackson.
Kliff Kingsbury returns for a second season as the coach in Arizona looking to take the league by storm. Kenyan Drake is expected to take over the backfield full time with David Johnson now in Houston. Speaking of Johnson landing in Houston, the other end of this trade saw Arizona come away with all-pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Talk about a turn of events. Either way you can expect Darius Slay to see a lot of him, while Kirk and Fitzgerald will more than likely see a lot of a mix of Roby-Coleman/LeBlanc—Parks/Wallace in the slot. This game is a toss-up, you can’t be sure what to expect out of either team up to this point.
Temperature: Moderate
Week 16: @ Dallas Cowboys
9 times out of 10 this will be the game that decides the NFC East, as it generally is. Both teams rank near the bottom in terms of strength of schedule so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both teams jockeying for position as far as playoff seeding goes. The fact that this game is in Dallas could play a big role in deciding the outcome. Still just like every game against the Cowboys, priority number one for Philadelphia will be to stop Ezekiel Elliott. A job that has been tough sledding as Elliott has averaged 103.5 yards per game in six contests (621 total).
At the end of the day this is where both quarterbacks who are expected to have signed their extensions by this point (Wentz already doing so), are supposed to earn their money. A 4:25 divisional contest for all the marbles? Something has to give. Still it all comes down to how the new-look Eagles defense is able to handle a Dallas Cowboys offense that ranked near the top of the league statistically.
Temperature: Hot
Week 17: vs. Washington Redskins
While it will probably be too little too late, by this point in the season the Redskins should be playing some really good football under new head coach Ron Rivera. Washington finally has a coach that will bring a sense of stability to the roster, the big question here is who will be the quarterback for the Redskins heading into the matchup. The ideal scenario for Washington is that Dwayne Haskins has taken a significant leap in his development throughout the course of the season, however, Rivera has bought in Kyle Allen as an insurance policy.
Despite the Redskins trending in the right direction, generally at this point Doug Pederson has his team playing some really good football heading into the playoffs. The Eagles have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and look to take that streak to four years in a row this season. Consider this a tune-up game before the real fun starts the next week.
Temperature: Cold
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