Eagles fans were pretty excited as they headed into the parking lots Sunday morning. The Eagles won last week after a three-game skid. The Giants sure stink and the game was not pretty. But the Eagles prevailed, and results across the league helped them clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. There was even an outside shot that they could get the number 1 seed. On Sunday, the Eagles faced one of the worst teams in the league, the Arizona Cardinals. They were favorites with 12.5 points. Fans should praise Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, who took responsibility for the Eagles’ 38-35 loss in the Super Bowl. Plus there was another bonus: the game was at 1 p.m.
Tailgating is an integral part of the football experience for many people. Settings range from a few chairs and a few beers to full fat. Some fans become minor celebrities. Action News host Matt O’Donnell once asked a man in a car at 6:00 in the morning, “Don’t you think it’s a little crazy to be here at 6:00?” The fan had a simple answer: “No. This is what I have to do.” Perhaps he meant that he had to arrive so early to get the tailgate preferred by his team. Maybe he thought the team needed him there. Either way, the result was the same. Arrival at 6:00 am at 1:00 p.m. It’s pretty early in the NFL game. But the game is only seven hours away. This season, however, Eagles fans who arrived in the morning had to wait much longer for the games.
It was only the second hour in the 13th Eagles games in Philadelphia this year. The Eagles had just three through the 17-week season; their last game on Sunday is at 4:25 p.m. The Eagles had nine at 1 p.m. games last season. The Eagles weren’t expected to be among the top teams last year, so they got a schedule that just put them there early; they were not at their best. The Super Bowl-winning 2018 Eagles had six at 13. games. The seasons aren’t exactly comparable: the 2018 Eagles played just one West Coast team, the Rams, while the 2023 Eagles played four games in the NFC West. But the Eagles also faced off in the AFC East this year.
Three early games really doesn’t seem like much. Pro Football Reference has times for every game since the AFL/NFL merger. They are divided into early (before 3:00 PM ET), afternoon (3:00 PM – 6:00 PM) and late (after 7:00 PM). I will continue to call them “One Day Games” because that is the norm. Stathead gives you the number of early games for each team in every season since 1970. Many teams only played a few early games in Eastern time during the season. They are mostly located in the western, mountainous or medieval zones.
For example, the Cowboys only have two starters this year. However, the Eagles will play just one more game in the Eastern time zone. It’s just not low. Only one other Eastern Time Zone team played only three games at 1 p.m. in season: 1987 New York Giants. That the giants really “knocked” everyone at 4:00 p.m. to start “The schedule is insulting to our fans,” owner Wellington Mara said. “We’re going from the National Football League to the Twilight League.” But the Giants actually had four schedules at 1 p.m. games this year; Week 3 was canceled due to the players’ strike. So really, the Giants were scheduled to play four games at 1 p.m. The Eagles have had to play at least 13 games of any East Coast NFL team since the merger — essentially the fewest ever. As with the defending Super Bowl champion Giants in 1987, this is the result of good teamwork. And I hate it! The Eagles weren’t always bad when I was a kid, but they almost never came into the season with high expectations. It was usually played at 1:00 p.m. The routine felt right. Get up, go to church, eat breakfast, watch the birds, fall asleep on the couch during late game. That was my childhood football experience.
Early games is what I know. This season for the Eagles has been incredibly frustrating. The Eagles kept winning but made it harder than it had to be. After a late-season swoon, it fell off the brink. What made it worst for me was the fact that the Eagles game wasn’t played until 1:00 p.m. games, one against Arizona and two against Commander. The Eagles played at 1 p.m. when they played two of the worst teams in the league. The first two were close; The Eagles even needed overtime to beat Washington at home. The third game was a disaster. Eagles fans had a short tailgate and a long game. They led 21–6 at halftime and lost 35–31. The Cardinals were hitless the entire game.
Arizona drove all but one of their possessions into Eagles territory with 16 seconds left in the half. In Game 3, Matt Patricia turned in his worst performance of the year as the de facto defensive coordinator – perhaps one of the worst performances ever by a good Eagles team. If the Eagles don’t beat the Giants and the Cowboys, the 10-1 team will finish second in the NFC East and be the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. I expect it to be a night game.
