To paraphrase some classic coach speak, everyone is 0-0 when the playoffs start. Before Eagles fans can dream of a Super Bowl victory and days of partying on Broad Street, the Birds must take care of business against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon.
That's obvious. Everyone knows that. You can't hoist the Lombardi Trophy without taking down the individual team that's in front of you every week this winter, but that rationality, frankly, is out of place in Philadelphia.
If the Eagles can defeat Green Bay at Lincoln Financial Field, what's their best path to returning to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years?
The Eagles are favorites at home against the Packers. The Birds handled Green Bay in Week 1 in Brazil even while the offense looked shaky, the defense did not yet resemble their fierce form they would evolve into and they lost the turnover battle. If/when Jalen Hurts returns to the field, there could be a rust factor, but Saquon Barkley and this all-world offensive line should be fresh enough to tear up the Packers' defense. With the Packers down a dynamic playmaker in Christian Watson too, Vic Fangio's job on the other side of the ball has gotten slightly easier, but Green Bay remains a talented unit.
OK, so if the Birds fly by Green Bay, what's next?
After the Eagles game comes a Sunday night showdown between the No. 6 seed Commanders and the No. 3 Buccaneers. I've touched upon this in a "5 NFL thoughts" column on Monday: the Birds should want no part of Tampa Bay. If the Bucs win and the Birds win, Tampa Bay comes to Philly next weekend. That's not ideal with the way Todd Bowles has stopped Hurts in the past and how much Baker Mayfield has been revitalized with this team. That's best to be avoided. The top choice is for Washington to win.
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The Commanders would then play No. 1 seed Detroit in the Divisional Round. That means the Eagles would face the winner of Monday night's Vikings-Rams game. This is a bit of a toss-up. I could see both sides. Los Angeles' offense can be explosive, but would that West Coast domed team have a lesser impact in the elements in South Philadelphia? Maybe! Still, Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford have won a Super Bowl together. Give me the inexperienced Sam Darnold and Minnesota at the Linc over that head coach-quarterback duo. Maybe Vikings fans won't cry and crumble into a million pieces if they make a trip for this playoff game like they did seven years ago.
So, let's say the Birds advance to the Divisional Round and then squash the Vikings. That would leave them to play the winner of the hypothetical Lions-Commanders game. Would you rather face the Lions' high-octane offense on the road or take your chances with a divisional rival at home? Easy call. Sure, Washington did beat the Eagles in Week 16 at home with some wild heroics from QB Jayden Daniels, but the Birds were cruising before Hurts was knocked out of that game. Washington celebrated like it was their Super Bowl. My gut says the Commanders would be in a reckoning if they ended up at the Linc.
Congrats to these Eagles. They just drew a dream path to Super Bowl LIX.
For fun, here's how I'd rank the most desirable Super Bowl opponents from the AFC:
1. Steelers
2. Chargers
3. Texans
4. Broncos
5. Ravens
6. Chiefs
7. Bills
It's pretty unrealistic, but, hey, a Pennsylvania Super Bowl would have a whole lot of juice and likely land the Birds as heavy favorites.
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