Good news for Eagles fans: the path back to the Super Bowl just got a little easier on paper. The Eagles' 2026 opponents have a combined .481 winning percentage from 2025, ranking as the 10th-easiest schedule in the NFL and the easiest among all eight division champions.
The Top 10 Easiest Schedules in the NFL
- Browns (.429)
- Saints (.434)
- Bengals (.450)
- Colts (.465)
- Falcons (.465)
- Lions (.467)
- Texans (.474)
- Titans (.476)
- Ravens (.479)
- Eagles (.481)
Easiest Among Division Champs
Of the eight teams playing a first-place schedule in 2026, the Eagles drew the softest slate. Strength-of-schedule is determined by opponents' record from the previous season, and the Eagles' 2026 opponents averaged a losing record across the board. Inside the NFC East, the Cowboys (20th, .493) and both the Giants and Commanders face tougher slates than Philadelphia. The Eagles have the easiest schedule of any team in their division. That's a meaningful structural advantage in the chase for another division crown.
The Tough Games on Paper
"Easiest schedule" does not mean "easy schedule." The Eagles still face several legitimate playoff threats:
- Week 4 vs. Rams (1 PM FOX): Matthew Stafford and a roster widely viewed as a top NFC contender. NBC Sports Philadelphia ranks Stafford as the toughest opposing QB on the schedule.
- Week 5 at Jaguars (London): An overseas trip is always a wild card regardless of opponent record.
- Week 7 vs. Cowboys (Monday Night Football): Division rival in primetime, always tight.
- Week 12 at Cowboys (Thanksgiving on FOX): Eagles are 2-0 in modern Thanksgiving meetings with Dallas, but it is a road game.
- Week 15 vs. Seahawks (Saturday): Seattle has eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs in back-to-back postseasons.
- Week 17 at 49ers (Sunday Night Football): Late-season measuring stick against a perennial NFC heavyweight.
The "Easy Schedule" Trap
Pre-season strength-of-schedule rankings have a long history of looking foolish by November. Teams improve year-over-year. Rookie quarterbacks emerge. Injury luck swings entire seasons. History is full of teams that drew "easy" schedules and underperformed, and teams that drew brutal slates and won their divisions anyway. Strength-of-schedule is a starting point, not a destiny.
The Bottom Line
The Eagles' .481 strength-of-schedule is a real advantage, especially when stacked against the rest of the NFC East. Combine that with a roster the league widely views as a top-3 NFC contender and the math gets very interesting. But the games still have to be played. London is a road trip. Seattle owes Philadelphia revenge. And the NFL's parity engine will produce its annual round of surprises.
Schedule-strength gets the Eagles to the door. Whether they walk through it is on the roster Howie Roseman has built and the coaching staff Nick Sirianni leads.
