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May 14, 2026

Noteworthy showdowns, prime-time clashes, an overseas trip, and Jalen Hurts redemption in store for Eagles in 2026

All of the standout matchups, quirks, and trends on the Eagles' 2026 schedule.

Eagles NFL
USATSI_27988743.jpg Bill Streicher/Imagn Images

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have plenty of intriguing games in 2026.

After weeks and weeks of waiting, and more waiting, the NFL finally released its schedule for all 32 teams on Thursday night, and now we can all get on with the rest of our lives.

The Eagles, who ended 2025 on a sour note by losing a first-round playoff game against the 49ers at home, are still a contender in the eyes of the NFL. The Birds will appear on prime time at least six times this season.

Our own Jimmy Kempski did a great job going through some of the advantages and disadvantages of this year’s Eagles schedule, including strength of schedule and how many times the Birds play a team coming off the bye (it's a lot).

Interestingly, most of the Eagles' toughest games this season – based on recent history, not just last season – are at home. As for the road, it's a very solid travel schedule for the fans.

Here we’ll take a look at some other standout features of the upcoming slate...   

Toughest stretch

From Week 3 to Week 6, the Eagles play four teams that were in the playoffs last year – Bears, Rams, Jaguars and Panthers. Yes, we know the Panthers had a losing record. Two of those games, against the Bears and Jags, are on the road, with the Jags game in London. But the Jags won 13 games, the Rams won 12 and nearly had the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and the Bears handed the Eagles an embarrassing loss on Black Friday. 

Oh, and right after they're done with that four-game stretch, the Eagles play three consecutive games against all three of their NFC East rivals. Should be an interesting October and November.

Easiest stretch

Right out of the gate, the Eagles open against the Commanders in Week 1, followed by the Titans in Week 2. Those opponents combined for eight wins last year.

Best road trip

Duh, London. 

I've actually never been there, but I know many people who have and haven't heard many complaints. Weather should be pretty mild, so fans should get to maneuver around the city and maybe even catch a game of football – uh, the other kind – while they're out there.

This is actually a great travel schedule for the fans – San Francisco, Chicago and Nashville are also good sightseeing and nightlife spots. As I write this, I'm getting more envious of Kempski. Would be a shame if something unfortunate happened to him that weekend and he needed a fill-in...

Weird travel fact that maybe I'm only interested in

The Eagles-Jags game being played overseas again – they played each other in London in 2018, with the Jags as the home team – means the Eagles still haven't played in Jacksonville since 2010, a bummer for the contingent of Eagles fans in northern Florida who like to see the Birds head to their region once in a while.

The second-longest road game drought is Nashville, a streak that will end this season. The Eagles will head to Nissan Stadium for the first time since the 2018 season when play the Titans in Week 2. But not going to Jacksonville in 16 years – and counting – is one very weird schedule quirk.

Worst road trip

The easier answer would have been Jacksonville had the game actually been scheduled there. (No offense, Duuuuval Nation!). But since that game will be in London, I don't need to take up any space here disparaging the North Floridian city for its lack of ... much of anything.

It also goes without saying that Washington is the worst trip every year because of it's terrible stadium.

But the worst non-NFC East trip this season for fans is probably Phoenix, only because the other locations – Nashville and Chicago – are amazing places to visit for fans, while Phoenix is nice for weather and some Scottsdale nightlife but otherwise not as thrilling as the other two spots. 

But, hey, if your worst trip is Phoenix, that's a damn good travel sked.

Potential trap game

The Panthers game in Week 6 comes right after the Week 5 trip to London and right before a Monday night showdown against rival Dallas in Week 7. The Panthers aren't very good but they gave the Eagles some trouble in that 2024 matchup, a 22-16 Birds win, and they'll see Jaelan Phillips again. 

"What could have been" game

Week 2 against the Titans will have some intrigue as the Eagles will see first-hand if Titans OC Brian Daboll, one of their main OC targets in the offseason, has worked any magic with Tennessee's offense and QB Cam Ward.

The storyline at that point will surely be some kind of comparison between the Daboll-led Titans offense and the Sean Mannion-led Eagles offense. It's probably better for Mannion that this game occurs so early in the season. Both teams should still be in an adjustment phase.

End of an era

Last year, the Eagles and Bucs squared off in September for the third straight year, each time in September. The Eagles won, 31-25, despite leading by 21 points near halftime. By that point, the Bucs and Eagles had played four regular-season games in five seasons and six times total since the start of 2021. The Eagles are 2-4 in those games. 

The Bucs aren't on the schedule this year, and unless they meet in the postseason, this strange NFC East-NFC South rivalry will take a break – and based on past results, the Eagles probably won't mind.

New rivalry game

However, a new non-NFC East yearly rivalry is developing between the Eagles and Rams. They will meet Week 4 at the Linc, which will be the fourth straight season these teams have played each other in the regular season. The Eagles have won each of the past three, including last season's 33-26 thriller made possible by Jordan Davis' blocked field goal and touchdown return in the final seconds.

In total, the Eagles and Rams will have played each other five time since the start of 2023, and if they meet again in the postseason, it would be six. The Eagles have won each of their four regular-season games against Sean McVay in the Nick Sirianni-Jalen Hurts era by an average of 9.8 points.

Jalen Hurts redemption tour

There are five NFL teams that Jalen Hurts has a losing career record against in the regular season, and three of them are on this year's schedule.

Here are the three teams, Hurts' record against them, and when they play:

 OpponentRecord  2026 Sked
 Cardinals1-2 Week 13 (A) 
Seahawks 0-1Week 15  (H)
49ers 0-2Week 17 (A) 


Somehow, Hurts has a losing record against the Cardinals despite Arizona having just one season above .500 since Hurts entered the NFL in 2020. Both of Hurts' losses to the Niners have come at Levi's Stadium, where the Eagles will again travel to this season, in Week 17.

With a win against defending champion Seattle at the Linc in Week 15, Hurts can even his career record against the Seahawks, and then there would only be four NFL teams he would have a losing record against, including the Chargers (0-2) and Jets (0-1).


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