Much ado is made about the fact that the Eagles did not win a game against any playoff teams in 2009 (0-5, including playoffs). And that the Eagles beat only one team with a winning record - the 9-7 Atlanta Falcons who did not have their starting quarterback nor their starting running back in that game.
But as Donovan McNabb said after the season-ending loss at Dallas, you "can't control who's on the schedule,"
"We won 11 games. We didn't win 16, I'm sorry for that. But you know what, we had a great season. We did a lot of explosive things on offense (whether) they were winning teams or not. I can't control that," McNabb said. "We played against some fairly decent defenses. There were challenges all across the board. We can't control what their record is at the end, but one thing we can control is winning the ballgame."
The Eagles did win 11 games. Only four teams won more games than the Eagles in the 2009 regular season. And if the Eagles' schedule was truly cake, they would have the No. 23 draft slot right now instead of the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles' opponents had a .484 win percentage in 2009. Green Bay's opponents' win percentage was .441, certainly helped out by playing the 2-14 Lions twice and the 1-15 Rams. The Packers' weaker strength of schedule gives them the better draft pick than the Eagles.
But entering the 2009 season, did everyone think the Eagles' schedule would turn out the way it did? Playing the win-loss schedule game back in April when it was first released, Carolina certainly seemed like it would be a much tougher foe. Going to Chicago with new quarterback Jay Cutler seemed like a schedule landmine. Sweeping both the Giants and the Redskins? Not exactly the easiest task no matter what year it is.
In fact, the Eagles had the ninth-toughest schedule heading into the 2009 season based on 2008 results (.535 win percentage). We all know that no team is the same from one year to the next. However, with that being mentioned, the Eagles will again have the ninth-toughest schedule in 2010 according to opponents' win percentage in 2009 (.520).
The Eagles' 2010 opponents are: Dallas (Home/Away), N.Y. Giants (Home/Away), Washington (Home/Away), Green Bay (Home), Minnesota (Home), Houston (Home), Indianapolis (Home), Atlanta (Home), Chicago (Away), Detroit (Away), Jacksonville (Away), Tennessee (Away) and San Francisco (Away). The dates and times are still to be determined.
The Cowboys have the third-toughest schedule next season, followed in the NFC East by the Giants (seventh) and the Redskins (eighth).
For a complete look at the Eagles' opponents from 2010-17, click here.
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 2:10 p.m., January 21
