With the full 2020 NFL regular season slate finally out, it's time to pick apart every single nuance for the next four months. Sports, right?
The Eagles will be looking to repeat as NFC East champs, which is much easier said than done according to recent history. It takes a mix of winning your own games and hoping division rivals run into stiff competition.
Let's take a look at which teams in the division have tough paths, and which might have an easier time.
Eagles: Kind of tough
- There's definitely potential here for the Birds to start 3-0 out of the gate. Washington is young and not good, Doug Pederson has owned Sean McVay, and the Bengals are also young and not good.
- Immediately after that stretch, of course, the Eagles run into a hard three-game stretch with the 49ers, Steelers, and Ravens. We could very well be looking at 3-3 if things don't go well.
NFL
- Not dealing with a three-game road trip is nice.
- The late stretch against Seattle, Green Bay, New Orleans, Arizona, and Dallas will make or break their season.
Dallas Cowboys: Not bad
- Four of the Cowboys' first six games are at home, including a three-game stretch with very winnable games against the Browns, Giants, and Cardinals. They could build early-season momentum with that run.
- Dallas's short week leads into a Thursday night road game against an extremely good Ravens team, which is almost certainly a loss.
- Not dealing with a three-game road trip is nice.
- The Cowboys' hardest three-game stretch is probably the Eagles, Steelers, and Vikings, but it gets broken up by a bye week.
Washington: A little good, a little bad
- Starting at home is always a positive, especially when you have an exciting young player like Chase Young. FedEx Field should be buzzing.
- Six of Washington's first 10 games are at home, which is helpful for a first-year coach like Ron Rivera to build continuity.
- Washington's short week leads into a Thursday night road game vs. a division opponent, which... is not ideal.
- The toughest part: a three-game stretch on the road against the Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers - three teams expected to make a playoff push - late in the season. That's brutal.
New York Giants: Not bad
- Starting at home is always a positive, especially for a first-year coach like Joe Judge, who wants to set the tone.
- The Giants' bye week precedes one of their only road trips, a two-game stint against the beatable Bengals, and then the Seahawks. That's favorable.
- Four of the Giants' last five games could be pretty tough, with the Seahawks, Cardinals, Ravens, and Cowboys all lined up.
I'm going to call the Eagles' schedule the hardest, and the Cowboys' the most favorable, in the NFC East, which isn't exactly what Birds fans want to hear.
But that'll make winning the division all the more satisfying.
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