Birds' 2014 schedule: Jackson to visit Sept. 21

The Eagles will host DeSean Jackson and the Washington Redskins on Sept. 21 at Lincoln Financial Field, one of the highlights of the 2014 schedule released Wednesday night. The Eagles also will play on Thanksgiving for the sixth time in franchise history, when they visit the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 27.

The Eagles will play four prime-time games, including three at home. They have six nationally televised games, including one on a Saturday.

The schedule will begin Sept. 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Linc - the first Week 1 home game since 2010. The Eagles will visit Indianapolis in Week 2 for their first of two Monday Night Football appearances.

Jackson's Sept. 21 visit marks the first NFC East game of the season. The Eagles will visit the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 28 in the inaugural season of Levi's Stadium.

The Eagles will return for two home games before a bye: an Oct. 5 visit from the St. Louis Rams and a Sunday Night Football matchup against the New York Giants on Oct. 12. The Week 7 bye week comes at a good time, providing a natural break to the season.

The Eagles will come off the bye with two road games: Oct. 26 against the Arizona Cardinals and a Nov. 2 date at the Houston Texans. The Eagles then will have an extra day to prepare for a Monday night home game against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 10.

The Nov. 16 game in Green Bay will be the second time Chip Kelly will coach at Lambeau Field. The Tennessee Titans will come to Philadelphia on Nov. 23, and the Eagles will have a quick turnaround for the Thanksgiving visit to Dallas. It's the Eagles' first Thanksgiving game since 2008. They are 4-1 on the holiday.

The benefit of the short week is extra time to prepare for a Dec. 7 visit from the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks. The game plan for the Cowboys will still be fresh when they visit Philadelphia for a Sunday night game on Dec. 14.

The Eagles must deal with another short week for the visit to Washington on Saturday, Dec. 20. The season will conclude with the Giants on Dec. 28, giving the Eagles their third consecutive NFC East opponent. It's the second time in three years that the season will conclude at the Meadowlands.

For the first time, flex scheduling will be used from Weeks 5 to 10, in addition to Weeks 11 to 17. So more game times will be subject to change.

The Eagles play a first-place schedule; the Packers and the Panthers are the two games dictated by last season's record. The NFC West and the AFC South are the interdivision games. The combined 2013 winning percentage of opposing teams is .479, which ranks No. 20 in the NFL.

"We are all looking forward to this season and getting the schedule finalized today makes it all the more exciting for all of us and the fans," owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. ""I can't wait."

@ZBerm