The Eagles will begin the '15 season with three of their first four games on the road after the league's schedule was released last night, and while the team sharing parking lots with the Phillies makes September and October games "an annual source of scheduling conundrums," the NFL "received an additional (and unusual) request" this season, according to Judy Battista of NFL.com. The Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput asked that the Eagles "not be scheduled for a home game on the third Sunday of the season, Sept. 27, because Pope Francis is scheduled to deliver Mass outside the city's famed art museum to an expected crowd of two million people." The demand for "city services -- from transportation to police -- would be too great to also host a football game." The Eagles "endorsed the request," and will visit the Jets on that day (NFL.com, 4/21). The MMQB's Peter King notes NFL Senior VP/Broadcasting & Media Operations COO Howard Katz in October wrote the archbishop to say the Eagles "would be out of town that weekend." Katz yesterday said, "Yes, the pope did influence the NFL schedule. My name may be Katz, but I wasn’t taking any chances" (MMQB.SI.com, 4/22).
