Philadelphia Eagles schedule 2021: Week 1 opponent known, plus home opener and 3 trips to MetLife Stadium

The Eagles will open their season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12 and close the season with five of their last six games against NFC East foes.

The Eagles' schedule, released Wednesday night along with the entire NFL schedule, will also feature games against both teams that played in the Super Bowl. And both games will be at Lincoln Financial Field. 

That means Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who coached the Eagles from 1999-2012, will return to the Linc for just the second time since then. That will happen on Oct. 3.

MUST WATCH:Here are the 5 Eagles games we can't wait to see in 2021

TANK BENEFITS:How the Eagles' tanking the final game affected the entire NFC East in the draft

Eagles fans will also get to see the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by 44-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, on Oct. 14, a Thursday night game. The Bucs also have star receiver Chris Godwin, who grew up 45 minutes away in Middletown, Delaware.

Wearing out N.J. Turnpike

There will also be two much-anticipated games against the Giants – on Nov. 28 at MetLife Stadium and on Dec. 26 in Philadelphia.

Add in the final preseason game against the Jets, along with a regular-season game against the Jets on Dec. 5, and the Eagles will be making three trips to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

It's not quite the same as frequent flier miles on a favorite airline.

The Jets, with No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, were added to the Eagles' schedule when the NFL approved the 17th game for this season.

The Giants are no doubt still upset at the Eagles for "tanking" the final game and thus enabling Washington to win the NFC East instead of them. The Eagles also traded with Dallas, of all teams, to leap ahead of the Giants in order to select DeVonta Smith in the first round of the NFL draft.

More known games

It will be a tough start for new Eagles coach Nick Sirianni.

The Eagles' home opener is on Sept. 19 against the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall, although incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo could still be the starter then.

And the Eagles will play the Raiders in Las Vegas on Oct. 24. It's the first time the Eagles are playing in Las Vegas, so that will no doubt be a popular travel destination for Eagles' fans. 

There is also a home game against the Drew Brees-less New Orleans Saints on Nov. 21.

But the Eagles won't have to get on a plane for an away game after the Nov. 14 game at Denver.

Not ready for Prime Time

In all, the Eagles, who went 4-11-1 last season, have the easiest schedule based on their opponents' records from 2020. Combined, the Eagles' opponents had a .430 winning percentage.

Of course, six of the Eagles' games are against NFC East opponents, none of whom were better than 7-9.

For that reason, the Eagles only have two games in prime time – a Monday night game against the Cowboys in Week 3 and a Thursday night game against the Buccaneers.

The Eagles open with the Falcons, who were one of the few teams with a worse record than the Eagles. Atlanta went 4-12 last season, but added tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 pick in the draft. It's the third time in the last six years that the Eagles are opening against the Falcons – the previous two were prime time games.

In 2015, the Eagles lost 26-24 in Atlanta. In 2018, in the first game since the Eagles' Super Bowl win, the Eagles won 18-12 at the Linc.

The Eagles also face last-place teams from the AFC East (Jets, 3-13), NFC North (Lions, 5-11) and 49ers (6-10).

Eagles 2021 schedule

Sept. 12, at Falcons, 1 p.m., FOX

Sept. 19, vs. 49ers, 1 p.m., FOX

Sept. 27, at Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

Oct. 3, vs. Chiefs, 1 p.m., CBS

Oct. 10, at Carolina, 1 p.m., FOX

Oct. 14, vs. Buccaneers, 8:20, FOX

Oct. 24, at Raiders, 4:05 p.m., FOX

Oct. 31, at Lions, 1 p.m. FOX

Nov. 7, vs. Chargers, 4:05 p.m., CBS

Nov. 14, at Broncos, 4:25 p.m., CBS

Nov. 21, vs. Saints, 1 p.m. FOX

Nov. 28, at Giants, 1 p.m. FOX

Dec. 5, at Jets, 1 p.m., CBS

BYE

Dec. 18 or 19, vs. Washington, TBD

Dec. 26, vs. Giants, 1 p.m., FOX

Jan. 2, at Washington, 1 p.m. FOX

Jan. 9, vs. Cowboys, 1 p.m. FOX

Preseason

Aug. 12, vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 19, vs. New England, 7:30 p.m.

TBD, at Jets, 7:30 p.m.

Check back throughout the day, and after the schedule is released for live updates and analysis.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.