Each week during the NFL season we lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the schedule. And yes, I'm aware that most of the below is obvious. Ideal winners bolded.
NFC East
The standings:
| NFC East | Record | Division | GB |
| Cowboys | 10-3 | 4-1 | - |
| Eagles | 10-3 | 3-1 | - |
| Giants | 5-8 | 2-2 | 5 |
| Commanders | 4-9 | 0-5 | 6 |
The NFC East is a two-team race between the Eagles and Cowboys, as usual. As a reminder, the tiebreakers for the division are as follows:
- Head-to-head games
- Division record
- Record against common opponents
The Eagles are now tied with the Cowboys atop the NFC East after the Cowboys stomped them Week 14. The Cowboys (kinda) lead the NFC East on tiebreakers because they have played (and won) one more divisional game than the Eagles, but if the Eagles win out they'll win the division.
A look at their common opponents so far, should the tiebreaking process get that far:
| Common Opponent | PHI | DAL | WAS | NYG |
| 49ers | Loss | Loss | ||
| Cardinals | ||||
| Rams | Win | Win | ||
| Seahawks | Win | Loss | Loss | |
| Bills | Win | Loss | ||
| Dolphins | Win | Loss | Loss | |
| Jets | Loss | Loss | ||
| Patriots | Win | Win | Win |
The next tiebreaker after common opponents is conference record. The Cowboys' loss to the Cardinals (an NFC team) is worse than the Eagles' loss to the Jets (an AFC team).
The NFC East games:
• Cowboys at Bills: This is the game of the week in the NFL. The Bills need to keep winning to stay in playoff contention in the AFC, and the Cowboys need it for playoff-seeding purposes. Obviously, the Eagles will be rooting hard for a Cowboys loss (duh).
• Commanders at Rams: The more games the Commanders win and mess up their draft positioning, the better.
• Giants at Saints: A few weeks ago, the Giants looked like the worst team in the NFL, but after winning three straight they actually have a 2 percent chance of making the playoffs, per The New York Times' playoff predictor. If they beat the Saints, that'll rise to 7 percent. A loss in New Orleans would more or less end their season.
It's probably not ideal for the Eagles if the Giants come into Philly on Christmas with confidence while riding a four-game winning streak and a puncher's chance of making the playoffs.
The chase for the 1 seed
The NFC standings:
| Seed | NFC standings | Record | Conf record |
| 1 | 49ers | 10-3 | 8-1 |
| 2 | Cowboys | 10-3 | 7-3 |
| 3 | Lions | 10-4 | 6-3 |
| 4 | Buccaneers | 6-7 | 5-4 |
| 5 | Eagles | 10-3 | 6-2 |
| 6 | Vikings | 7-7 | 6-3 |
| 7 | Packers | 6-7 | 4-4 |
| 8 | Rams | 6-7 | 4-4 |
| 9 | Seahawks | 6-7 | 5-5 |
| 10 | Falcons | 6-7 | 4-5 |
| 11 | Saints | 6-7 | 3-5 |
| 12 | Giants | 5-8 | 4-4 |
| 13 | Bears | 5-8 | 4-5 |
| 14 | Commanders | 4-9 | 2-7 |
| 15 | Cardinals | 3-10 | 2-6 |
| 16 | Panthers | 1-12 | 0-9 |
As you can see, the Cowboys aside, the Lions and 49ers are the Eagles' biggest threats for the 1 seed in the NFC.
• 49ers at Cardinals: As we mentioned in our Week 15 picks, in the three Niners-Cardinals matchups since 2022, the Niners are outscoring the Cardinals 111-39, so don't expect any help here.
• The Lions beat the Broncos on Saturday, helping solidify their likelihood of winning the NFC North.
Draft pick watch
The Eagles own the Saints' second-round pick, so the more games they lose they better, typically. But as noted above, in my opinion this is a rare week in which a Saints win over the Giants is more ideal. Anyway, as always, let's fire up the PFF mock draft simulator!
• Round 1: J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
• Round 2 (from Saints): Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
• Round 2: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
• Round 3: Calen Bullock, S, USC
• Round 4: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
• Round 5: Beaux Limmer, iOL, Arkansas
• Round 5: Justin Eboigbe, DL, Alabama
• Round 5: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
Of course, it's best if a team other than the Saints wins the NFC South:
- Buccaneers at Packers
- Falcons at Panthers
Irrelevant to the Eagles
- Bears at Browns
- Texans at Titans
- Jets at Dolphins
- Chiefs at Patriots
- Ravens at Jaguars
The Ravens-Jaguars game is worth keeping an eye on. It's best if the Ravens just stay healthy in this game, since they play the 49ers on Christmas.
There are no more byes.
MORE: Week 15 NFL picks
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