Getty The NFL might treat everyone to a Week 1 showdown between intrastate rivals featuring Carson Wentz and the Eagles versus Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
The Washington Redskins will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. It is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. That is one of three 2020 schedule leaks being reported as of Thursday afternoon.
Another one has the Eagles traveling to Green Bay to take on the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 13, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. There was no time listed for that game and seems to be a good contender for the coveted Sunday Night Football slot on NBC. Another one says the Eagles will host the Saints in Week 14, per The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan.
Behold, our 2020 schedule in all its glory.
The Redskins-Eagles leak was first reported by NBC Sports Washington. Here is the final slate, as officially released by the team on Thursday evening.
- Week 1: Eagles at Redskins
- Week 2: Rams at Eagles
- Week 3: Bengals at Eagles
- Week 4: Eagles at 49ers
- Week 5: Eagles at Steelers
- Week 6: Ravens at Eagles
- Week 7: NY Giants at Eagles
- Week 8: Cowboys at Eagles
- Week 9: BYE
- Week 10: Eagles at NY Giants
- Week 11: Eagles at Browns
- Week 12: Seahawks at Eagles
- Week 13: Eagles at Packers
- Week 14: Saints at Eagles
- Week 15: Eagles at Cardinals
- Week 16: Eagles at Cowboys
- Week 17: Redskins at Eagles
Rumors: AFC North vs. NFC East Had Been Predicted
The Eagles had been projected to begin the 2020 campaign with four straight inter-conference games against the AFC North. This was first reported (and unconfirmed) by John Clayton on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
It certainly made sense from a logistical standpoint, with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The opponents in those games are all within driving distance from Philadelphia, including Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore and Cincinnati. The latter being the sort of outlier, at just under nine hours.
.@JohnClaytonNFL tells @937theFan that the NFL schedule will be NFC vs AFC for the 1st 4 weeks of the season. Steelers play the NFC East. So 1st 4 games would be Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, and Giants.
According to CBS Sports, the Eagles are tied with the Patriots for the 20th-easiest (or 12th-toughest, depending on the viewpoint) in the NFL. Their 2020 opponents combined for an 0.514 winning percentage in 2019. Dates and time for the full slate of NFL games will be released tonight during a three-hour extravaganza on NFL Network starting at 8 p.m.
Eagles Home & Away Opponents Locked In
The Eagles already know which teams they will play in 2020, including where those games will be held by virtue of the league’s rotating divisional and conference format. The opponents remain static.
Philadelphia will get home games against the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. And road games versus the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and New York Giants.
Here is a deeper dive into the Eagles’ matchups against their inter-conference rivals from the AFC North. Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati are present interesting matchups in 2020:
Cleveland: This contest has more local connections than AT&T. For starters, the Eagles traded up with the Browns in a blockbuster trade to acquire Carson Wentz back in 2016. He notched his first NFL victory over them that year in Week 1, too. Fast forward to 2020 and Cleveland has a Philly-born head coach (Kevin Stefanski) and new GM with Eagles ties (Andrew Berry). Berry worked under GM Howie Roseman in Philly and has called Roseman the “best GM in football.” He’s modeling the Browns after the Eagles. One more thing, a Carson Wentz versus Baker Mayfield QB has prime-time written all over it. Road game, drive time: under seven hours.
Coach Pederson names Carson Wentz the starter for Week 1 versus Cleveland. #FlyEaglesFly
Cincinnati: On paper, this looks like the only cupcake on the Eagles’ schedule but don’t be fooled by a possible trap game. The Bengals took LSU stud quarterback Joe Burrow at No. 1 overall in April’s draft and he’s brimming with Joe Exotic levels of confidence. Cincy is loaded at the skill positions with wide receivers A.J. Green, John Ross, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, plus 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon. They could be the league’s biggest sleepers. If nothing else, this one could be the ultimate litmus test for how much better (or worse) the Eagles’ secondary is. Home game, at Lincoln Financial Field.
Baltimore: Can we deem this the Marty Mornhinweg Bowl? Just kidding. The former Ravens assistant — and Lamar Jackson whisperer — is a consultant for the Eagles and looks to unleash his new toy, Jalen Hurts, on the NFL in a similar fashion. Speaking of Jackson, the reigning league MVP is the most exciting player in football and looks to build on his record-setting performance from 2019. This one could be a legitimate Super Bowl preview. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was also a long-time assistant in Philly and a sturdy branch on the Andy Reid coaching tree. Home game, at Lincoln Financial Field.
Warning: It is best to wear increased ankle support when trying to tackle Lamar Jackson.
(via @NFL)
Pittsburgh: The Steelers should have been an absolute mess last season after trading Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell, then losing Ben Roethlisberger to a season-ending injury. Nope, they somehow gutted out an 8-8 record on the back of Minkah Fitzpatrick and a stingy defense. (Remember, the Eagles had a chance to get Fitzpatrick but didn’t pull the trigger.) The intra-state rivalry has all the makings of a high-scoring affair between two creative offenses. Think deep targets galore for Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Shuster and Philly’s DeSean Jackson. If the Eagles win, those signs on the Pennsylvania Turnpike might be repainted to say Wentzsylvania. Road game, drive time: under five hours.
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