December 22, 2024
Kimberly P. Mitchell/Imagn Images
Eagles fans will get to see what it feels like to be a Bears fan on Sunday.
Each week we'll lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule for those of you on the fence while watching the other action around the league. Ideal winners bolded.
First, a look at the updated NFC East standings:
| NFC East | Record | Div record | GB |
| Eagles | 12-2 | 3-0 | - |
| Commanders | 9-5 | 2-2 | 3 |
| Cowboys | 6-8 | 3-1 | 6 |
| Giants | 2-12 | 0-5 | 10 |
The Eagles play the Commanders this week, and will clinch the NFC East with a win or tie.
The Giants play the Falcons, and the Cowboys play the Buccaneers. The fates of the Falcons and Bucs this season are of more interest to the Eagles at this point, so we'll get to them in them momentarily.
As usual, let's first look at the NFC seeding if the season ended today (it doesn't).
| Seed | Team | Record | Conf record |
| 1 | Lions | 12-2 | 8-1 |
| 2 | Eagles | 12-2 | 7-2 |
| 3 | Buccaneers | 8-6 | 6-3 |
| 4 | Rams | 8-6 | 5-5 |
| 5 | Vikings | 12-2 | 7-2 |
| 6 | Packers | 10-4 | 5-4 |
| 7 | Commanders | 9-5 | 6-3 |
| 8 | Seahawks | 8-6 | 4-5 |
| 9 | Falcons | 7-7 | 6-3 |
| 10 | Cardinals | 7-7 | 3-6 |
| 11 | 49ers | 6-8 | 4-6 |
| 12 | Cowboys | 6-8 | 4-5 |
| 13 | Saints | 5-9 | 4-6 |
| 14 | Bears ☠️ | 4-10 | 2-7 |
| 15 | Panthers ☠️ | 3-11 | 2-7 |
| 16 | Giants ☠️ | 2-12 | 1-9 |
The Eagles cannot be the 3 seed or 4 seed. There is a 99 percent chance that they will be either the 2 seed (67 percent) or the 1 seed (32 percent), per Inpredictable.
If we're operating out of the assumption that the Eagles need to win out to have any realistic chance at the 1 seed, they need the following to occur:
• Lions at Bears: Duh. Rooting for the Bears must be a miserable experience for Chicagoans. Welcome to their world.
• Vikings at Seahawks: This game has some potential for a Vikings loss.
On the "strength of victory" front, the following outcomes are best for the Eagles. The great Deniz Selman mapped out a point system that will decide the SOV tiebreaker, shown here:
If #Eagles & Vikings finish 15-2, strength of victory will determine NFC 1 seed. I prepared a color-coded chronological guide of all relevant games. Some games count more than others (see points associated w/each).
— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) December 18, 2024
Vikings need only 14 of 38 possible points.
Eagles need 25. https://t.co/8qHR7MzrkP pic.twitter.com/IzA9kQ4lxn
So, you know, the following outcomes are best for the Eagles for that tiebreaker:
However, some of those outcomes contradict what is best for the Eagles, big picture.
• Obviously, a Lions loss is more ideal, for example.
• A Packers win is better for the Eagles. Why? Well, they're currently the 6 seed, and the Commanders are currently the 7 seed. The Commanders are only a game behind the Packers, and hold the tiebreaker. If the Commanders overtake the Packers for the 6 seed, the Eagles would have to play the 7 seed Packers in the first round if they're the 2 seed. That is a much worse matchup than the Commanders, so it's best if the Packers keep winning and clinch at least the 6 seed.
• It's better for the Eagles if the Falcons — and not the Buccaneers — win the NFC South, so a Falcons win is more ideal.
MORE: Reviewing the Eagles' four 'choke out' drives to close games this season
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