Eagles 2023 strength of schedule gives Cowboys golden chance to reclaim NFC East crown

The Philadelphia Eagles were a runaway train last season, and yet the Dallas Cowboys were within striking distance up until the final few weeks.

The Cowboys needed to go undefeated over their final three games. Similarly, they needed the Eagles to lose their last three fixtures. The odds were slim at best, and sure enough Philadelphia went 2-1 and Dallas dropped the ball on the road in Washington in the final week of the season.

It never looked like the Eagles would relinquish their chokehold on both the division and NFC's top seed. 2023 will hopefully be a different story after Philly lost several key pieces to free agency and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to head coaching jobs.

Additionally, the Eagles will have the league's hardest schedule next season. If that doesn't set the stage for the Cowboys to reclaim the NFC East crown from their hated rivals, good luck finding something that does.

Eagles having NFL's hardest schedule in 2023 is great news for the Cowboys

The Cowboys themselves don't have an easy road in 2023, but it speaks volumes the Eagles' schedule is the hardest of any team.

Philadelphia is one of two teams (Dolphins are the other) with a strength of schedule north of .550 and they'll play a whopping 10 teams that made the playoffs last season. That's more than half of the entire playoff pool and tied for the most of any team.

Not only that, but six of the Eagles' eight home games will be against 2022 playoff teams, including the Bills, 49ers, Vikings, Cowboys and Giants. Regression is always possible in the NFL, but chances are those teams will be in the playoff mix in 2023.

If you add in the Commanders, seven of the Eagles' eight home matchups will be against teams that finished .500 or better. Remember, it was Washington that handed the Birds their first loss of the season in Philly on Monday Night Football.

Again, the Cowboys' schedule is no walk in the park and nothing is won in mid-May, but fans have to left with a semblance of optimism after coming to terms with the Eagles' strength of schedule. While Philly should still be the favorites after their Super Bowl run, there's no arguing Dallas closed the gap this offseason.

While the Eagles have the pieces in place to offset the talent they lost, there's no projecting how prospects will perform in year one.

This time last year Philly was praised for netting Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean in the draft and they didn't do much of anything as rookies. Could Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith similarly experience growing pains out of the gates?

While D'Andre Swift and Rashad Penny form an intimidating backfield duo, they're two of the most injury-prone backs in the league.

See what we're saying? The Cowboys aren't without flaws, either, but the gap is closer than some folks in the media seem to be leading on.