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          Philadelphia Eagles' schedule features Christmas showdown with Raiders on MNF

          Carson Wentz threw for 3,782 yards during his rookie season. Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
          • Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterApr 21, 2017, 12:19 AM
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              Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine's Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_McManus.
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          The NFL has released its 2017 regular-season schedule. Here’s a look at what’s in store for the Philadelphia Eagles.

          Breakdown: It looks like Carson Wentz is becoming a draw. The Philadelphia Eagles schedule includes five prime-time games, a sign that networks see some star power in the second-year quarterback out of North Dakota State. Chief among them is a Super Bowl XV rematch against the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football on Christmas. That should be fun (and maybe snow-filled?). Two early games against division opponents -- they open at the Washington Redskins and host the New York Giants in Week 3 -- will bring added juice right out of the gates. There are three West Coast trips on the docket -- including two in Los Angeles to play the Rams and Chargers -- ending a two-year string of light travel for the Eagles. This schedule has some teeth to it, presenting a challenge for Wentz and head coach Doug Pederson in Year 2.

          A nice, long stay out West: The Eagles asked the NFL to schedule back-to-back games out West so they could cut down travel. The league granted that request, though not exactly the way the Eagles may have been thinking. A Week 13 trip to the Seattle Seahawks will be followed by a game at the Rams. Chances are, Pederson will have his players stay out there during the break in-between. The common thought was that they'd play their L.A. games back-to-back, but it was not to be.

          Christmas 'ball: The Eagles and Raiders will have the spotlight all to themselves on Christmas night with a Monday Night Football tilt at Lincoln Financial Field. The setting is just part of the intrigue. With many of the league’s established QBs now in the back end of their prime, Wentz and Oakland’s Derek Carr are two potential candidates to lead the next wave. This game could showcase the quarterback youth movement, and could be a potential big game for both sides with the playoffs right around the corner.

          Strength of schedule: T-10th, .531

          Eagles’ regular-season schedule (All times Eastern)

          • Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 10, at Washington, 1 p.m.

          • Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17, at Kansas City, 1 p.m.

          • Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24, N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.

          • Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1, at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m.

          • Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8, Arizona, 1 p.m.

          • Week 6: Thursday, Oct. 12, at Carolina, 8:25 p.m.

          • Week 7: Monday, Oct. 23, Washington, 8:30 p.m.

          • Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29, San Francisco, 1 p.m.

          • Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5, Denver, 1 p.m.

          • Week 10: BYE

          • Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19, at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

          • Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 26, Chicago, 1 p.m.

          • Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3, at Seattle, 8:30 p.m.

          • Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10, at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m.

          • Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 17, at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.

          • Week 16: Monday, Dec. 25, Oakland, 8:30 p.m.

          • Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31, Dallas, 1 p.m.