Eagles schedule 2020: Philadelphia lucks out on Thursday Night Football

After having to fly to Green Bay for Thursday Night Football in 2019, the Philadelphia Eagles got incredibly lucky with a Week 7 home contest against New York.

Well, well, well. After weeks of anticipation, we finally know who the Philadelphia Eagles will be playing in the 2020 NFL season.

Okay, technically that isn’t true, as the team’s forthcoming opponents have more or less been known for some time, but we now officially know when and where each game will take place this fall – baring cancellations of course.

Haven’t check it out? Peep the official announcement tweet from the team below.

Not too shabby, right? Sure, there are a few rough patches, like having to play the Seahawks, Packers, and Saints back to back to back, but at least the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins all have to face off against the brutal AFC North too.

But one aspect of the Birds’ calendar that should leave fans in the 215 elated is their Week 7 game against the New York Giants.

Why? Because it’s the best possible situation for a Thursday night contest imaginable.

More from Philadelphia Eagles

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

I mean think about it, the Eagles are playing the Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 6. That’s a tough game no matter how you slice it, but the team will then remain in South Philly for a home game against the Giants at 8:20 pm Thursday night.

Per PFT, from 2006-14, home teams won an average of 62.4 percent of their games on Thursday (58-35) versus only 56.6 percent of their games in general (1,140-873-3). Had the Eagles instead drawn the unfortunate ire of having to play, say, the San Francisco 49ers away in Week 7, that game may be their most challenging, as opposed to a very winnable contest against Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and company.

Fun fact: The Giants haven’t beaten the Eagles at home since Week 8 of the 2013 season and in general since Week 9 of the 2016 season.

And to make matters even more advantageous, knocking out Week 7’s game a few days early gives Doug Pederson and company extra time to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.

For the first time in a long time, all three of the Eagles’ NFC East opponents have new head coaches. While the Birds have faced off against Ron Rivera and Mike McCarthy before, during their tenures in Carolina and Green Bay respectably, both games should require a little extra attention, especially since the Cowboys are the most realistic challengers for the Eagles’ spot atop the division.

Three extra days doesn’t seem like a lot, but in the fasted paced world of regular-season NFL football, it could be the difference between a ‘questionable’ distinction on the Injury Report and a ‘probable’.

When the NFC East could be decided by a game or two at most, every little bit helps.

Now to be fair, all of this ‘easy game’ talk could be out the window if the Joe Judge is able to hit the ground running Chip Kelly-style and transform the Giants from a perennial loser into a white-hot challenger for a spot in the stacked NFC playoff picture, but personally, I don’t see that happening. Baring a surprise turn of events, it seems unlikely that any NFL team will have a full offseason to implement the massive, foundational changes needed to lift a team out of the doldrums of mediocrity into a contender in time for Fall. Judge may or may not end up being a good coach, but we probably won’t know either way in 2020.

Heck, we may not even know if Danny Dimes – or Dwayne Haskins for that matter – is a true franchise quarterback because of the unfortunate asterisks that will all but surely sit next to the 2020 season in the minds of talent evaluators and the annals of football history.

Bad news for the Giants, good news for fans in Philly.

Honestly, does the NFL calendar announcement really matter that much, especially in 2020? I’d venture to say no. However, having a home Thursday Night game does give a team an empirical advantage both that week and in the following week, which should be music to Philadelphia Eagles’ fans’ ears, as any extra help in the lead up to Dallas Week is always appreciated – especially if it comes with a win over the New York Giants at the Linc.