Predicting the Philadelphia Eagles’ first loss of the 2023 season

The NFC playoff picture appears once again to be a war of attrition between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Both teams are 5-0 after five weeks of action and this is the second consecutive season that Philadelphia has raced off to a 5-0 start.

The good news for Philadelphia is that they've built a two-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East after Dallas lost to Arizona in Week 3 and was boat-raced by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. The Eagles have taken advantage of a soft schedule to start the season, with only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers checking in above .500 among Philadelphia's first five opponents.

A soft schedule is nothing new for the Eagles, who took advantage of a light slate last season to race to an 8-0 start before losing their first game at home against Washington. Things will get tough for Philadelphia soon, however, meaning a shot at perfection appears unlikely.

Who will hand the Eagles their first loss?

Things look good for Philadelphia in Week 6 as they take on the New York Jets, who have a strong defense but are unlikely to outgun them with Zach Wilson at quarterback.

Week 7's Sunday night showdown against Miami is tough but Philadelphia has the advantage of being at home, which combined with a shaky Dolphins defense should result in another win.

Two consecutive NFC East games follow with a trip to Washington and their first meeting with Dallas, which comes at home, and Philadelphia should handle their business in both of those games. The Cowboys contest kicks off a brutal stretch of games for the Eagles, however, who then have this gauntlet after their Week 10 bye: at Kansas City, Buffalo, San Francisco, at Dallas and at Seattle.

That slate is rough and will assuredly hand the Eagles their first loss of the year. The top pick figures to be the Monday night game in Kansas City, which will have a huge motivation to prove that last year's Super Bowl win was truly earned and not handed to them by the officials or slippery field in the end. Anyone in that stretch of games is more than capable of beating the Eagles, but the official prediction is that Philadelphia's run at perfection ends at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 20.