Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking All 16 Games from Least to Most Anticipated

While every 2011 Philadelphia Eagles game will get its due in this season of great expectations, somewhere between must-see and can’t-miss there exists a subtle hierarchy of needs. 

Every Sunday is great, but not every Sunday is equal. 

With that in mind, I rated each of the Eagles’ 16 regular season games from least anticipated to most anticipated using the following criteria:

• Quality of opponent, with good teams and traditional rivals receiving preference;
• Network, weighted towards primetime games in isolated time slots;
• Time of year, generally privileging games early and late in the season;
• Underlying storylines, particularly anything regarding revenge and/or bragging rights.

For those of you now arranging the next four months of your life around the physical exertions of grown men, consider this list a time management tool.

For those of you dealing with the above mentioned people, consider it a warning.

Week 5 at Buffalo: FOX, 1:00

The Eagles visit to Orchard Park will definitely result in a football game. The team that scores more points will definitely get credit for a win.

Definitely.

Those are the stakes—nothing more and nothing less.

Week 4 vs. San Francisco: FOX, 1:00

By Week 4 we have officially entered the soft underbelly of the NFL schedule, stranded between the rush of a new season and the watershed point where we can begin to draw conclusions about the league’s 32 teams.

If anything, this game gives Birds’ fans a chance to peep new 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and assess the progress of Andrew Luck Alex Smith, his star pupil. That, and the chance to watch Patrick Willis play give this game some legs.

Week 14 at Miami: FOX, 1:00

Miami doesn’t figure into most folks' playoff prognostications, but the homecoming of former Dolphins star Ronnie Brown adds a bit of intrigue to this late season affair. 

If the Eagles are fighting for a spot by season’s end, this game will take on an added dimension of importance. Outside of that, this is just another Sunday.

Week 13 at Seattle: NFL Network, 8:20

Coming off the high drama of a showdown with the Patriots, a trip to the Pacific Northwest on a short week already feels like a let down.

The fact that this game is on Thursday and airs on a weird network ought to grab folks’ attention—if only in a bemused sort of way.

Other than the scheduling oddity, the opponent and the venue reek of mediocrity.

Week 6 at Washington: FOX, 1:00

A visit to Washington always brings back memories. In recent years, those memories have been pleasant ones for the Philadelphia faithful.

Over the past 11 seasons, the Eagles are 9-2 in their visits to D.C., and an early season rendezvous with the Redskins always offers the Birds a chance to make waves within the division.

Because the Redskins come into this year with fairly low expectations, a victory on the scale of last year's Monday Night rout will effectively bury Washington's NFC East hopes.

Week 10 vs. Arizona: FOX, 1:00

Two prominent Eagles make their return to Lincoln Financial Field in a homecoming that gives this sleepy matchup some serious life.

Both Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley will get a chance to show Eagles’ fans that the franchise gave up on them too soon, potentially reclaiming the franchise player labels stripped of them in Philadelphia. 

Kolb will get the brunt of the attention, especially if his Cardinals come into this game playing well. Philadelphia fans don’t usually genuflect to ex-players. When those players are thriving elsewhere, the boos only grow louder.

Week 17 vs. Washington: FOX, 1:00

With Donovan McNabb in Minnesota, the Redskins' visit to Lincoln Financial Field won't move the needle like it did last year.

This game's importance will depend solely on whether the outcome dictates playoff fortunes or seeding for one of the two teams. Since that team is more likely the Eagles, Washington may get a chance to play spoiler in the season's final week.

If not, this game is ranked too high. If so, this game is ranked too low. Week 17 in the NFL rests entirely on circumstance.

Week 9 vs. Chicago: ESPN, 8:30

Could ESPN executives have foreseen the Eagles’ free-agent shopping spree and the hype it would provoke, the Birds surely would have received more than one Monday night showcase. 

As it is, the inexact science of scheduling projection leaves us with a mildly-appealing conference clash forced uncomfortably into sports television's marquee time slot. 

Even if the Eagles’ sole appearance on Monday Night Football isn’t the highest-profile affair, a showdown with a solid Chicago Bears team should provide a nice litmus for the Eagles at the midway point of the season.

Last year the Bears defense was the first to fluster Michael Vick. This year the Eagles and Vick will get a chance to show they’ve made the adjustment against a good defense.

In 2010, on a raw and rainy night in Washington, Vick announced he was back. This year, on that same stage, he could announce that he’s here to stay.

Week 15 vs. New York Jets: CBS, 4:15

The New York Jets are that team right now.

Even though they have no recent history with the Eagles, and even though this just another Sunday afternoon showdown, the media cyclone this franchise creates everywhere it goes makes this game a must watch.

A showdown between bombastic Rex Ryan and taciturn Andy Reid lends the matchup some contrast, while the collection of stars on the field—Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez, Nnamdi Asomugha, Darrelle Revis, Asante Samuel, Antonio Cromartie, DeSean Jackson, Santonio Holmes—should keep the media bustling.

This game's profile goes up if either of these teams are teetering on the edge of the playoffs. Both are living in a "win now" vacuum, and any thought of missing the postseason should serve to further stir emotions.

Week 16 at Dallas: FOX, 4:15

In recent years, these late season games against Dallas have seemingly foreshadowed the Eagles’ playoff fortunes.

In the last two years, Eagles losses in the regular season finale against the Cowboys prefaced early playoff exits, while an emphatic 2008 victory over Dallas catapulted the team to an unlikely NFC title game appearance. 

This game is a charm, both good and bad. Treat her with respect, and the fates shall reciprocate.

Week 11 at New York Giants: NBC, 10

From months out, this game already has that pivotal-showdown feel. When the Giants and Eagles reacquaint it will be the second half of the season, nearing the stretch run, but not so late that either team is without hope. 

These late division games always offer the grand prospect of big standings’ swings and even bigger momentum shifts. 

I’m sensing a tantalizing blend of desperation, potential gain and entrenched acrimony—all of it playing out in primetime on Sunday night.

Week 8 vs. Dallas: NBC, 8:20

After two lonely weeks in that barren desert of fandom called “bye week,” this primetime matchup versus the Cowboys looks like a shimmering oasis.

Most prognosticators rate Dallas as the first or second-best team in the NFC East, and this year the always contentious season series between the Eagles and Cowboys could decide the division crown. Provided both Tony Romo and Michael Vick stay healthy, I imagine these two horses will run neck and neck all year. 

The predictably blunt entree of new Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan—who called Philly an "all-hype team" this offseason—lends the rivalry just one more hostile dimension

Given that ante, the home crowd will roar a little louder and the padded men will hit a little harder this Sunday night.

Week 3 vs. New York Giants: Fox, 1:00

The first home game of the year gets an extra boost with the arrival of a hated divisional rival.

Giants-Eagles always plays big. On opening day in a season of great expectations for the Eagles, it will play even bigger. 

As if this fire needed any more fuel, LeSean McCoy’s offseason tweet-off with Giants end Osi Umenyiora gives the game an even edgier, more computer-literate component. 

And so on the gridiron, long-dormant words will finally get their chance to walk when the New York Giants visit Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia. The winner of this game gets an early leg-up in the divisional race and delivers its fans a substantial ego boost. 

On that note, Giants fans could really use a pick-me-up. Methinks they will remember what happened when last these two met. 

And for the record, yes, I will link to that play as often as I can so long as these Internets shall live.

Week 1 at St. Louis: Fox, 1:00

A midday game against a middling team doesn’t usually register on the fan anticipation Richter scale. 

Except when that ho-hum matchup takes place Week 1. 

As it does every year, the lead-up to this game will pulse with infinite possibility and palpable tension. 

A first look at second-year quarterback Sam Bradford will also draw some attention. That, and the fact that if the Eagles don’t win this game, they could be staring at 0-3 out of the gate.

Week 2 at Atlanta: NBC, 8:20

The usual buzz generated by two NFC contenders will get a palpable boost from Michael Vick’s (triumphant?) return to the NFL city where he first starred. 

Never known for their animosity, I’ll be interested to see hear Atlantans’ reaction to the athlete that set a new standard for disappointment and promise unfulfilled while wearing the black and red. 

Memories of recent letdowns against Philadelphia likely won’t buoy their mood. During their current four-game losing streak to the Eagles, the Falcons have been outscored by a combined score of 116-55. 

If the Falcons can shake those ghosts and beat the Eagles, they’ll likely bear the NFC’s “team to beat” mantle heading into the heart of their schedule. If the Eagles win, they’ll prove they belong in the elite while putting the rest of the league on notice. 

Oh, and did I mention this is Atlanta’s first home game and it’s being aired in primetime on Sunday night?

The battle of the birds should be an absolute monster.

Week 12 vs. New England: CBS, 4:15

Those keen on stereotypes will bill this as a battle of contrasting styles: The austere, mechanical dominance of the Patriots versus Michal Vick, and the freewheeling athleticism of the Philadelphia Eagles. I think the truth is a bit more complicated than that, with the development of Vick’s pocket passing defying some of those early qualifications about his game.

But no matter, the rich storylines will percolate. 

The teams haven’t met since the near-perfect New England squad nearly succumbed to A.J. Feely and the injury-ravaged Birds of 2007. This time around the rosters look more even on paper, and fans will jump at the chance to see two elite offenses trade punches. 

A chance to knock off the ultimate NFL bully adds incentive for Philly fans, and the Patriots play the part well. If the Eagles come into this game looking strong and manage to best the Pats, the hype around this team will grow even louder and the swagger of its fan base more apparent. 

If you’re like me, you've had this game circled ever since the schedules came out. 

On paper, no game feels bigger.