The Philadelphia Eagles will play three straight games against 2024 playoff teams — Dallas, Kansas City, and Buffalo — beginning Sunday, a stretch that will define their season after a 22-21 loss to the Chicago Bears dropped them to 4-2.
The Cowboys (5-1) lead the NFC East and beat Philadelphia twice last season, including a 33-13 rout at AT&T Stadium in December. Kansas City (6-0) is the NFL's only unbeaten team and has won three of its last four meetings with the Eagles, while Buffalo (4-2) has scored 30 or more points in four games this season.
Philadelphia's margin for error is thin. The Eagles trail Dallas by one game in the division, and a loss Sunday would give the Cowboys a head-to-head tiebreaker and a two-game cushion with 11 weeks remaining. The Eagles' remaining schedule ranks as the sixth-toughest in the NFL based on opponents' combined winning percentage, according to league data.
The Bears loss exposed problems that elite opponents can exploit. Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bears converted 8 of 15 third downs against a Philadelphia defense that entered the game allowing a 38.5% conversion rate. The Eagles managed just 287 total yards and went 3 of 11 on third down themselves.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 22 of 34 passes for 237 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and running back Saquon Barkley was held to 68 yards on 18 carries — his lowest output since Week 1. Philadelphia's offensive line, missing right tackle Lane Johnson for a second straight game due to a personal matter, allowed three sacks.
"We've got to look at everything," head coach Nick Sirianni said after the loss. "When you lose a game like that, you evaluate everything — coaching, execution, fundamentals. That's on all of us."
The Eagles have won at least 10 games in each of Sirianni's three full seasons and reached the Super Bowl two years ago, but they have not beaten a team with a winning record this season. Their four victories came against opponents with a combined 8-16 record.
Dallas presents the first obstacle. The Cowboys rank second in the NFL in scoring defense at 17.8 points per game and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 22 times, tied for third-most. Micah Parsons has recorded 7.5 of those sacks and has four in his last three games against Philadelphia.
Kickoff Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
