The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL schedule release.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ redemption tour involves the NFL’s 10th-most favorable strength of schedule based on the opponents’ combined 2025 winning percentage (.481). As reigning NFC East champs, the Eagles drew division winners in the Chicago Bears (11-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) and Carolina Panthers (8-9). By playing the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans, in addition to the Washington Commanders, the Eagles will be playing three of the teams who owned top-5 picks in the draft.

The Eagles are a major draw for the NFL. They have two “Monday Night Football” matchups, two “Sunday Night Football” games, a Thanksgiving Day headliner against the Dallas Cowboys, a Christmas Eve special against the Houston Texans, plus a London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Philadelphia will play the entire NFC West and AFC South, creating a heavyweight matchup against the Seattle Seahawks and pitting the Super Bowl LIX champs against the Super Bowl LX winners.

Let’s break down the 2026 schedule.

Week 1 keys to victory

All eyes will be on how efficient the Eagles offense is once they debut their overhauled system under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. The Eagles have never quite worried about scoring on the Commanders in Nick Sirianni’s tenure, averaging 29.5 points per game across 11 meetings with their NFC East rival. Still, defensive-minded Commanders coach Dan Quinn will be overseeing as many as seven new starting defenders, including linebacker Sonny Styles, the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft. Which team did a better renovation job?

Must-watch game: vs. Seahawks, Week 15

The Super Bowl LIX and LX champions collide. This is bound to be a barometer check for both teams. Their matchup feels like a powerhouse against a powerhouse. “Clint Hurtt versus the staff that didn’t retain him” and “Riq Woolen against the team that didn’t re-sign him” aren’t storylines that will captivate a national audience. Neither will a rematch billing: The Eagles haven’t played the Seahawks since Sirianni demoted former DC Sean Desai for Matt Patricia ahead of a Week 15 loss in 2023. The Seahawks own an eight-game win streak over the Eagles dating back to 2011. This is, “If you want to watch great players play against each other, here ya go.” Hopefully, this game lives up to its talent level.

Toughest stretch: Weeks 14-16

The Indianapolis Colts should be a formidable Week 14 opponent. Fourth-year coach Shane Steichen boasted the NFL’s top offense last season until quarterback Daniel Jones’ Achilles tear, and it wouldn’t send shockwaves across Philadelphia if the Eagles dropped this game at home. If they do, though, there isn’t much immediate grace. Hello, Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks in Week 15. If that’s not enough, how about the Houston Texans and their A-plus defense on a short week on Christmas Eve? That’s a three-game stretch that would create plenty of dread across the city if it went south. The 2023 collapse loomed over the 2025 season’s late-year struggles. That’d create a lot of pressure going into a Week 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

Game that has gotten tougher: vs. Panthers, Week 6

It’s strange to call the Carolina Panthers a sleeper team when they were the NFC South champions a year ago, but I am. The Panthers’ defense, which has Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn and defensive tackle Derrick Brown, took big swings in free agency to fortify their front seven by signing linebacker Devin Lloyd and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Quarterback Bryce Young at last looked comfortable under coach Dave Canales, and Young could take another step forward with a promising group of young wide receivers. Remember, the clumsy iteration of this franchise nearly upset the Eagles in Week 14 of the 2024 season. Now, the Eagles will have to address a rising Panthers team after their London game against the Jaguars — without the aid of any extra days in exchange for their international travel.

One game the Eagles can’t afford to lose: at Titans, Week 2

Losing at home to the Colts would put extra scrutiny on Sirianni, who would likely not be pleased about losing against the team he once coached for and his former offensive coordinator in Steichen. But the Colts, who were 8-4 before Jones’ Achilles tear last season, are a playoff contender who used their first two draft picks to upgrade their defense. Now, to me, when talking about games the Eagles can’t afford to lose, the answer revolves less around ego hits and more around dropping games to teams they shouldn’t in tight playoff races.

Enter the Tennessee Titans, the worst team on the Eagles’ schedule. The Eagles won one fewer game last season (11) than the Titans have in the last three (12). The Titans hired new coach Robert Saleh following consecutive 14-loss seasons, but there still isn’t much to get excited about their roster beyond quarterback Cam Ward and No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate. Road games like these certainly matter more than they seem. Think back to 2023. The late-season collapse is most memorable, but the Eagles’ Week 6 road loss to the New York Jets also cost them a shot at home-field advantage in the playoffs. Saleh coached that Jets team, too.

Best offense the Eagles will face: Rams (Week 4)

LeBron James and Matthew Stafford are poster athletes for a city filled with stars waging war against Father Time. Stafford became the NFL’s oldest MVP at age 37 last season. He turned 38 on Feb. 7. The Rams spent their No. 13 pick on Ty Simpson, which at the very least symbolizes the organization’s certainty that Father Time will one day win. Until then, expect Stafford to still be transcendent under coach Sean McVay, among the NFL’s best system adapters, game-planners and play-callers. Eagles DC Vic Fangio has been McVay’s formidable foil. Among the Rams’ eight worst games since 2024 in total offensive EPA, two were against the Eagles. Adding Jonathan Greenard and Riq Woolen to the mix should make Fangio’s steady group even stronger.

The Eagles are 4-0 against the Rams since 2023, and the last three have been classics. In 2024 in Los Angeles, Saquon Barkley set the single-game franchise record with 255 rushing yards. Later, in the NFC divisional rematch, Barkley’s two long touchdown runs included a 78-yard score with two indelible helmet slaps that live on in Philly sports lore. Former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay helped stave off the Rams’ last-minute comeback attempt in that game, and, in 2025, Jordan Davis blocked a would-be, game-winning field goal and returned it for the most unnecessary-yet-necessary touchdown in the team’s recent history. It’s greedy to expect the 2026 game to birth more legends, but the key characters are all there to create another classic.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams have produced classic moments in recent matchups. The teams meet again in 2026. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

Best defense the Eagles will face: Texans (Week 16)

A strong case can be made that the Texans’ best offense in 2025 was their defense. Consider this comedic sequence in their Week 18 win over the Indianapolis Colts: C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass, then, two plays after the resulting kickoff, Danielle Hunter’s sack fumble set the Texans up at the 2-yard line. Stroud immediately scrambled for another score. That’s a gutting 14-point swing for any opponent. The Texans scored two defensive touchdowns in their AFC wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Any sign of an offensive heartbeat might have sent them to Super Bowl LX.

Fourth-year head coach DeMeco Ryans, who spent his final playing years in Philly, has built a consistently dominant defense that matches the Eagles’ talent level on offense. Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who just signed a three-year, $150 million extension, embody the fiercest edge-rusher duo in the NFL. All but one starter returns in 2026, a safety spot backfilled by Reed Blankenship, who could be circling this on his calendar as a prove-it game against an Eagles organization that never signed him to a long-term deal.

Predicted record: 12-5

Sirianni and Mannion should send the NFL schedule makers flowers. The Eagles open the season against three teams that all ranked in the bottom-12 in 2025 in total defensive EPA, according to TruMedia. If the Eagles get off the ground offensively, their defense should support them through a nine-game stretch that should spell playoffs by their Week 10 bye. Schematic questions abound on offense, and if Jalen Hurts and Co. aren’t comfortable early, a Week 3-5 stretch against the Bears, Rams and Jaguars — teams whose offenses are their strengths — could create questions about Sirianni’s job security if it goes wrong. However, the 2025 Eagles rode their defense to an 11-6 finish with the first negative offense in terms of EPA in Sirianni’s tenure. Even marginally better offensive play against a more favorable schedule should have the Eagles playing in the postseason.

Predicted NFC East finish: 1st

1. Eagles
2. Cowboys
3. Giants
4. Commanders

The Eagles have won the last two NFC East titles. They were the first to win back-to-back division crowns since they won four straight from 2001 to 2004. They remain the odds-on favorite to win their fourth in five years. The talent gap within the division is closing, though, and the Cowboys are the top challengers. They went 7-9-1 last year despite losing several starters to injuries. Former Fangio deputy Christian Parker must remake the Dallas defense in his image as a first-time DC, and the Cowboys gave him plenty to work with, including first-round safety Caleb Downs. The New York Giants have enough talent to stabilize themselves under new coach John Harbaugh. (They have two top-5 picks along the defensive edge in Arvell Reese and Abdul Carter. Gulp!) The FedEx Field railing is the most threatening thing about the Commanders.