November 18, 2018
In past seasons, Philadelphia Eagles fans generally rooted for their own team, and kept an eye on the rest of the NFC East. In 2018, with the Birds initially being among the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, it was perhaps worth keeping tabs on the conference, as opposed to just the division.
And so, each week we laid out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule. However, sitting at 4-5 after a devastating loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles are two games behind the 6-3 Washington Redskins. Eagles fans' outside rooting interests have long since shifted from earning a first round bye, to just having a seat at the table, at all, in the playoffs. Pretty much the only way they're getting in at this point is if they win the NFC East.
Ideal winner in bold:
• Texans at Redskins: Duh.
• Cowboys at Falcons: The Cowboys are now also threats to the Eagles, as the Birds are down 0-1 in head-to-head matchups with them.
• Panthers at Lions: The Panthers (Cam Newton aside) feel like frauds to me. That's a team the Eagles can beat in the playoffs, should they get a home game by winning the division. (And yes, I realize the Panthers already beat the Eagles at the Linc this year.)
• Buccaneers at Giants: The Giants won last week, giving way to the Raiders for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.The more they win, the more damage they'll do to their draft positioning.
• Steelers at Jaguars: If the Eagles don't make the playoffs, there's a good chance they'll be tied with other teams with the same record. The first tie-breaker for draft position is strength of schedule. Teams with worse strength of schedules pick first. Therefore, it's good if teams the Eagles played, like the Jaguars, lose a lot of games.
• Bengals at Ravens: The Eagles own the Ravens' second-round pick.
• Raiders at Cardinals: It's best if the Raiders retain the No. 1 overall pick instead of the Giants.
• Vikings at Bears: I think both of these teams will be in the playoffs, and I think the Bears are a better matchup for the Eagles. Therefore, it's probably better if the Vikings win that division and the Bears get a wildcard.
• Chiefs at Rams: I'm personally rooting for Andy to get his Super Bowl this season.
Irrelevant to the Eagles:
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