Eagles' Early Schedule 'Leak' Themes

The first four games revealed on the Eagles’ 2025 schedule highlight several themes.

The most obvious is just how in demand the star-studded, reigning Super Bowl champions are with networks and streaming platforms lining up for Philadelphia’s passion.

The tradition now is that the champs open the season in a standalone Thursday night game, and the league doubled down on the idea of setting the tone with a massive television rating by scheduling the annual visit by Dallas to Lincoln Financial Field as the Kickoff game on NBC/Peacock Sept. 4.

The next get for the networks was FOX announcing a Saturday doubleheader on Dec. 20 which could be the game that decides the NFC East when the Eagles head south down I-95 for Landover and the back end of the home-and-home series with the fast-rising Washington Commanders.

The third “leak” was the Amazon Black Friday game in which the Eagles will host the suddenly intriguing Chicago Bears on Nov. 28. 

The Bears are generating hype because Detroit offensive wunderkind Ben Johnson defected in-division as Chicago’s new head coach, with his No. 1 mission defined as getting uber-talented quarterback Caleb Williams on track in Year 2.

However, what seems sexy in the spring for the league now could deflate by then if Williams’ struggles continue.

Tuesday morning’s drop revealed a Nov. 10 game at Green Bay for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” in what will surely be gaslighted into the “Tush Push Bowl,” especially with the league likely to remove pushing from the game late this month during the spring meetings in Minneapolis.

Of the first four games revealed, none are in traditional Sunday windows, with Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday represented.

That brings us to our second theme…

IN-HABIT-ABLE

NFL players and coaches are creatures of habit, and being in demand means the Eagles will have more disjointed weeks than most.

Philadelphia is already guaranteed to play on every day of the week that the NFL is scheduling games on this season and that means fewer opportunities with the comfort food that is a Sunday to Sunday schedule.

The Eagles have plenty of experience handling that kind of thing already, and talent tends to trump all, but it's worth noting that Nick Sirianni will have to come up with a record number of weekly schedules with five days of the week already accounted for. (Trust us, Sunday will ultimately be represented.)

DISRESPECT CARD

Eagles fans are somewhat famous for believing the whole world is against them with the familiar refrain of “no one likes us, we don’t care,” making it into the local Zeitgeist after Jason Kelce’s epic Super Bowl LII parade speech.

The real saying should probably be “no one likes us and we care immensely.” However, it’s hard to argue the world-is-against-you narrative with the Eagles being the “It Team” everyone is fighting over.

The “disrespect people” may have to take this season off.