November 10, 2019

Week 10 non-Eagles Sunday rooting guide

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Each week this season we have laid out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule, based on the premise that the Birds are Super Bowl contenders. They have not looked much like contenders to win it all through the first half of the season, but we'll see if that changes down the stretch. For now, we'll shift the focus to the division, as well as a potential wildcard berth.

Here are the best scenarios for the Eagles this week while they're on their bye.

Early games of note:

• Lions at Bears: A Lions win over the Bears might keep them more interested when they have to face the Cowboys the following week. A story line to watch here is the health of Matthew Stafford, who may or may not play in this one. The Eagles need Stafford to be good to go when they face Dallas.

• Falcons at Saints: Obviously, the already dead Falcons would be the ideal winner here.

• Giants at Jets: It's better if the Giants win this game and they mess up their draft positioning.

• Cardinals at Buccaneers: This is a strong crop of quarterbacks coming out this year, so it's probably best if most of them land in the AFC. The Cardinals won't be taking a QB, but the Bucs should certainly be in the hunt for one, so it's best if they mess up their draft position.

Later games of note:

• Panthers at Packers: If the Eagles fail to win the NFC East, there is still a path for them to get in as a wildcard. Of these two teams, the Panthers will be easier to catch, so it's probably better if they deal the Packers their third loss.

• Rams at Steelers: The Steelers are pretty obviously the team to root for here.

Sunday Night Football:

• Vikings at Cowboys: There's no real terrible result here, as a Vikings loss gives the Eagles a better shot at a wildcard, but obviously it is far better if the Cowboys lose. Duh.

Monday Night Football:

• Seahawks at 49ers: The best outcome is if the Niners just run away with home field advantage throughout the playoffs, because they are (a) too far out in front to catch at this point, and (b) their lack of a stud quarterback makes them vulnerable in January.

Irrelevant to the Eagles: