Two facts can be claimed about the Eagles through their first eight games. First, the team is 8-0. Despite some inconsistent play, the team has found ways to win and is seated in first place in the NFC. The Eagles’ schedule is filled with talented teams and potential trap games, yet still, they’ve shown that their talent-heavy roster is more than just visually pleasing.
However, the second fact is that the Eagles haven’t played the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs. Through eight weeks, those two teams are alone with Philadelphia in the league’s upper echelon. Many teams have faced the three, but few have bested them. However, where the Bills and Chiefs have played each other, the Eagles, for better or for worse, have seen neither.
Now to a reasonable fan, this wouldn’t really matter. Schedules are created before the season, and regardless of who the favorites are, the truth is no one knows who will be good and who won’t (looking at you Buccaneers, Packers, and Rams). Teams play who’s on their predetermined schedule–what they do in those games is up to them.
Unfortunately, a large portion of NFL fans aren’t so reasonable. Despite a historic 8-0 start, they don’t seem to be impressed with the Philadelphia Eagles. And no, it has nothing to do with a lack of talent or pulling off fluke wins–their only concern is who is on the Eagles’ schedule.
Let’s Set the Scene: Who Has Philadelphia Played?
So far in 2022, the Eagles have played just two teams with winning records–the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys. The Washington Commanders were also defeated by the Eagles in week three who currently sit at 4-4. That’s three teams .500 or above that the Eagles have played compared to five below. On paper, that does look fairly unimpressive (although still not to the level that some people are making it out to be). However, as goes for every aspect of life, there’s important context underlying each of these contests that the naysayers don’t want you to pay attention to. Let’s break the Eagles’ schedule down, shall we?
Detroit Lions (0-0): 38-35 W
The Hard Knocks sweethearts came into week one with greater energy and enthusiasm than ever. Just go back and look at the Lions’ home crowd in that game–they were rowdy and more excited than any team I’ve ever seen coming off of a top-two draft pick. It was a team on a mission, and yet the superior Eagles were still able to walk in and handle business.
Everyone likes to point out the three-point difference in the final score and pretend like the game was competitive, but in actuality, it was never truly that close. The Eagles’ held three-score leads on multiple different occasions and led 38-21 in the fourth quarter. Despite the Lions scoring two garbage-time touchdowns, the Eagles were able to control the clock and run the game out with a late fourth down conversion.
Another largely ignored factor is that, despite their 1-6 record, the Lions have been an incredibly competitive team this year. Ignoring a down stretch during weeks five and seven, the Lions have a point differential of minus-five. That’s right, they’ve scored five less points than their opponents in games they’ve gone 1-4 in. Not only that, but their four losses in those games were against the Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Miami Dolphins, teams with a combined 24-7 record. The Lions are a tougher team than people give credit, and the Eagles strong showing against them deserves a lot more love.
Minnesota Vikings (1-0): 24-7 W
Coming off a week one demolition of the Packers, the Vikings came into the game confident. The Eagles and Vikings, despite only one week of action, both looked to be among the league’s brightest squads, squaring up for a high stakes early-season matchup.
Then the Eagles decided to make a statement. After the Vikings scored early in the second quarter to cut the Eagles’ lead from 14 to seven, Darius Slay and the Eagles defense took it to another level, not allowing another Vikings score and recording three interceptions in the process.
This win looks even better now as it’s still the Vikings only loss on the year. Have the Vikings looked amazing? No, but they, like the Eagles, have consistently found ways to win games and hold one of the NFL’s best records because of it. This was perhaps the toughest game on the Eagles’ schedule, yet they still won in dominant fashion.
Washington Commanders (1-1): 24-8 W
The Commanders have been a weird team in 2022. Like the Lions, they have played nearly every game close and have turned those close games into four wins. It’s tough to tell if they are a truly good team, but one thing is for sure: they are a feisty squad.
But against the Eagles, they suffered a similar fate to Minnesota. The Eagles pass rush overwhelmed the Washington o-line all game, racking up nine sacks and suffocating former Eagles’s quarterback Carson Wentz.
This is a win that is looking better and better each week, but at the time, it was clearly a David vs Goliath matchup, one that David stood no chance in. Week ten features the second matchup between these two squads, one that will likely feature a similar result.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1): 29-21 W
Going into this game, the Jaguars were one of the hottest teams in the league. After a tough loss to the Commanders in week one, Jacksonville shut out their division rival Colts, 24-0, and then blew out a heavily favored Chargers team, 38-10. Although their 2-6 record is underwhelming now, the Jaguars were taking serious momentum into the Linc.
This was the first time the Eagles stumbled out of the gates this season, but in the second half, they did what they’ve done all season and put the game away on the back of their run game. On a rainy, windy day, Miles Sanders was asked to carry the load for the Eagles and did so effectively, totaling a career high 134 rushing yards.
Arizona Cardinals (2-2): 20-17 W
Admittedly, I don’t have much to say about this game. The Eagles started out hot, but then seemed to settle in and focus on running the clock out. However, this game was much closer than it should have been with the Eagles escaping overtime off the back of a missed field goal at the buzzer.
The Cardinals are not a bad team, but rather a very inconsistent one. DeAndre Hopkins was absent for this game which definitely made life easier on the Eagles secondary, but all in all, this just wasn’t an impressive win from the Eagles.
Dallas Cowboys (4-1): 26-17 W
This is a game I could write an entire separate piece on, but for the sake of everyone’s attention spans, I’ll spare y’all some time. In summary, Cooper Rush was playing good football to this point. He wasn’t winning Dallas any games, but he certainly wasn’t losing them either. Add solid quarterback play to a defense playing at an elite level, and this was a good test for the Eagles.
But as I’m sure everyone remembers, the Eagles dominated this game for most of three quarters. Sure, the third quarter saw Philadelphia take their foot off the gas a bit which made the final score look closer than it really was, but this game truly wasn’t that close. Like against Minnesota, this was a great win against a very good opponent.
My last point on this game is one on the public perception of Cooper Rush. Before this game, everyone was completely honest about who Rush is: a capable backup who won’t lose you games. Because of that, everyone was okay with giving Dallas a chance. However, as soon as the Eagles won, the narrative changed. Suddenly Rush was awful and the only reason the Eagles escaped with a win. Remember what this article is about–some fans will run with any illogical point that supports their narrative.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5): 35-13 W
This is the part of the Eagles’ schedule that the haters are focusing on now. The Eagles hosted a completely overmatched Steelers team and won how they were supposed to. Despite playing a bad team, the Eagles handled business.
Houston Texans (1-6-1): 29-17 W
And here we are, the last installment of the Eagles’ schedule review. This was, admittedly, not a pretty win for the Eagles. Against a lesser Texans team, the Eagles struggled to separate early in the game, taking a 14-14 tie into the half before eventually pulling away.
Some will argue that it was a short week so the Eagles are excused of their underwhelming performance, but honestly, that’s not an argument I’m buying. This was a game that the Eagles should have run away with no matter the circumstances. However, I will point out just one detail: Damien Pierce.
Eagles’ rookie Jordan Davis, the teams premier run-stuffing nose tackle, was out of the game with a high ankle sprain. This combined with Pierce’s physical running style gave the Eagles fits all night, keeping the Texans in the game. This is not expected to continue to be a problem for the Eagles once Davis returns, so on that merit, I’m willing to give Philly an ounce of forgiveness. However, it was still an ugly win, and probably one of two true knocks on the Eagles undefeated record.
So Is the Eagles’ Schedule That Easy?
No. Truthfully, anyone who makes the claim that the Eagles are only undefeated because of an easy schedule are objectively wrong. The Eagles’ schedule has its fair share of easy matchups, sure, but so does everyone else’s. When the Eagles have played a tough opponent, they’ve handled business, and when they faced a less-than-stellar team, they’ve done the same.
I’ll end by repeating this very important point: teams play whoever is on their schedule. It’s what separates good teams from bad ones: good teams win the games they’re presented with, and bad ones don’t. The Eagles have proven time and time again that they are a very good team–that’s the only reason they are 8-0 right now. Assuming Philadelphia continues to play at their current level, they’ll continue to win games no matter who suits up across from them.
