January 02, 2024
Kim Klement Neitzel/USA Today Sports
The Eagles already beat the Buccaneers once this season, defeating them on the road in Week 3. There could be a potential playoff recap.
The days of tracking the Eagles' ability to snag the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the second straight season feels like decades ago at this point. The Eagles have dropped four of their last five, fallen out of the driver's seat for back-to-back NFC East titles and are more likely than not heading on the road Wild Card weekend after nearly hoisting the Lombardi Trophy last February.
Things change quickly in the NFL.
The Eagles could still win the division. If the Eagles win on the road against the Giants in their regular season finale and the Cowboys lose to the Commanders, the Eagles are champs. Our own Jimmy Kempski crystalized that situation well earlier this week, however, writing that it would be, "The Cowboys somehow losing to a Commanders team that is currently slated to have the No. 2 overall pick that desperately needs a franchise quarterback for the first time in as long as I can remember. Oh, and also the Eagles winning a football game."
That's a tall task right about now!
Dallas prevailing over Washington would have the Eagles as the No. 5 seed in the NFC, heading on the road next weekend to face the 4-seed, which will be whatever team wins the lowly NFC South.
Three possible teams could win that division, so I will rank who Eagles fans should want their team to be playing, from the least desirable to the most desirable.
This is by no means a "the Eagles are lucky to face this crap division and will walk to a win" post because all three of these opposing teams and their fans are thrilled they're facing the Eagles mid collapse and not, say, the Cowboys.
Anyway, we begin with a team that the Eagles actually beat this season...
The Buccaneers' path to the division crown is simple. If they beat a 2-14 Carolina team, they're division champs for the third time in as many seasons. Though, of course, this comes with Baker Mayfield under center instead of Tom Brady.
The Eagles faced the Buccaneers on the road back in Week 3, defeating them 25-11 on Monday Night Football. D'Andre Swift was a beast in the run game, picking up 130 rushing yards on just 16 carries. The Eagles as a whole rushed for over 200 yards for the second consecutive week and have yet to do so again this season.
Tampa Bay began the season 3-1 and, after some midseason woes, they battled back, winning four of their last five and putting themselves in a win-and-in situation. In his first season with the Bucs, Baker Mayfield has had the best performance of his career, as he'll end up passing for over 4,000 while currently possessing a 28:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The yardage and touchdown marks are career highs for Mayfield, who also has the best completion percentage of his career to date.
The prospect of a locked-in Mayfield throwing to Mike Evans, who just ripped off his ninth straight 1,000-yard season, and Chris Godwin against an Eagles secondary as injured and lost as this is not too great for the Birds.
Tampa Bay would be favored in this one, right? A pick 'em at least? Week 18 would help shape that line certainly.
Since the Eagles' loss to Arizona, I've had this vision of the Eagles playing the Bucs, trailing 28-24 with four minutes remaining, needing a red zone stop to keep things a one-score game before Mayfield does some play-action rollout, runs into the end zone and does the most annoying touchdown dance of all time.
Can't you see it?
Like most things in life, the most likely scenario is the worst path forward.
Though irrational in terms of its on-field impact, I'd wager the Delaware Valley's old playoff scars against this franchise wouldn't sit well during the week-long build-up...
New Orleans? It should be called the "Seattle of the South" because it's been just as much of a house of horrors for the last two decades. The Eagles fell in the Divisional Round twice in New Orleans in the 21st century with those losses coming in 2006 and 2018. Luckily for the Eagles, however, Sean Payton is long gone.
The Saints would win the NFC South if they beat Atlanta on Sunday and the Buccaneers lose to Carolina.
Compared to the other five quarterbacks who'd find themselves in the NFC playoffs, Derek Carr at this current juncture is the best possible draw. The Saints are kind of a mess overall in the present and in the future. It's clear that since their respective departures, Payton and Drew Brees were masking a lot of issues for this franchise.
Still, New Orleans is sixth in points allowed and boasts a top-10 pass defense. The Eagles should truly be able to move the ball against anyone, so any surface-level playoff concerns for the Birds need to revolve around their defense. Saints offensive coordinator and play-caller Pete Carmichael has come under fire at times this season. An offensive game plan that features a healthy amount of Taysom Hill gadget plays would go a long way to the Eagles advancing to the second round of the postseason.
Unlike the other two teams on this list, the Eagles have had strong playoff success against the Falcons this century. The Eagles have knocked off Atlanta three times in South Philadelphia in the 2000s, doing so in 2002, 2004 and 2017.
The Falcons face New Orleans on Sunday. If the Falcons beat the Saints and the Buccaneers fall to the Panthers, Atlanta will be division champs with a sub-.500 record at 8-9.
This would be the best turn of events for the Eagles, though, again, even the eternally wounded Falcons fan base would be happy about drawing a sagging Eagles squad.
Atlanta is easily the worst team of the bunch, mostly due to their inept offensive attack. The Falcons' offense against the Eagles' defense would be a movable object against a stoppable force, two Magikarps flailing at one another. Atlanta suffered a 20-point loss to the Bears in Week 17. The Falcons have rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic at quarterback this season, with some injuries mixed in too, as Taylor Heinicke received the most recent start, tossing three picks while completing 34.5 percent of his passes. Yikes.
The focus would be on limiting rookie running back Bijan Robinson, who Atlanta bizarrely doesn't utilize enough. Robinson has 1,332 yards from scrimmage on the year while averaging a robust 4.7 yards per carry.
Atlanta's defense rates much better, as they're currently ninth in points (tied with Tampa Bay) and 11th in yards. Star safety Jessie Bates leads the unit with six interceptions and 128 tackles.
A loss to the Falcons to open the playoffs after this regular season tumble would be grounds for firing the entire coaching staff.
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