Each week during the NFL season we lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the schedule. It's pretty simple this week.
NFC East
The standings:
| NFC East | Record | Division | GB |
| Cowboys | 11-5 | 4-1 | - |
| Eagles | 11-5 | 4-1 | - |
| Giants | 5-11 | 2-3 | 6 |
| Commanders | 4-12 | 0-5 | 7 |
• Cowboys at Commanders: The Cowboys own the tiebreaker over the Eagles, so if both teams finish with the same record, they will win the NFC East. The Eagles need the following to occur to win the NFC East and earn the 2 seed:
- Eagles win or tie + a Cowboys loss.
- Eagles win + a Cowboys loss or tie.
Wildcard round playoff opponent (if the Eagles are the 5 seed)
If the Cowboys take care of business in Washington and win the NFC East, the Eagles will be the 5 seed and play on the road against whatever team wins the NFC South. If the Buccaneers beat the Panthers, then the Eagles will play them. If the Buccaneers lose, the Eagles will play the winner of the Falcons-Saints game.
This where I was going to rank the most ideal opponent of the three, but ultimately they're all mediocre teams and if the Eagles can't beat any of the three they may as well just get on with their offseason. (For the record, from easiest to hardest opponent, I'd rank them Falcons-Saints-Buccaneers, but the difference is fairly negligible.)
Of greater importance is probably the Saints' second-round pick that is owned by the Eagles. If the Saints are eliminated from playoff contention, that'll be a top 50 pick. So a Saints loss is the most ideal scenario, with a Bucs win being the fail-safe.
- Buccaneers at Panthers
- Falcons at Saints
As always, let's fire up the PFF mock draft simulator.
• Round 1: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
• Round 2 (from Saints): Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
• Round 2: Jackson Powers-Johnson, iOL, Oregon
• Round 3: Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
• Round 4: Junior Colson, LB, Michigan
• Round 5: Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri
• Round 5: Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
• Round 5: Malachi Moore, S, Alabama
Other games involving NFC playoff hopefuls
If somehow the Cowboys lose and the Eagles win, the Eagles will be the 2 seed, as they'll win the tiebreaker over the Lions (if necessary).
In the wildcard round the Eagles would play one of the Rams, Packers, Seahawks, or Vikings, in that order of likelihood. Here's who those teams play:
- Rams at 49ers
- Bears at Packers
- Seahawks at Cardinals
- Vikings at Lions
(Note: The only way the Lions can be the 2 seed is if the Eagles and Cowboys both lose.)
The Rams are pretty clearly the most dangerous of the four teams in the wildcard race. They are also the only team of the four that has already clinched. If they win or the Packers lose then the Rams will be the 6 seed. If they lose and the Packers win, they'll be the 7 seed.
In a scenario in which the Eagles win the division, they would face the 7 seed. It's better if they avoid the Rams, so a Rams win or Packers loss — thus giving the Rams the 6 seed — would be ideal.
Or... if you're already resigned to the notion that the Eagles aren't competing for a Super Bowl this season and you just don't want to see the Cowboys win it all, maybe it's best if the Rams end up as the 7 seed.
Other draft stuff
• Jets at Patriots: The Commanders are currently in good position to land the No. 2 overall pick, and thus new hope with a potential franchise quarterback in the draft. They will clinch the No. 2 pick with a loss and a Patriots win. If the Commanders and Patriots both lose, there are some scenarios in which the Commanders will land the No. 2 pick, and some where it will go to the Pats, based on strength of schedule. If the Commanders get knocked out of the No. 2 spot, they may have to pay a king's ransom to move up to get their guy, or settle for a lesser prospect.
Irrelevant to the Eagles
- Browns at Bengals
- Jaguars at Titans
- Broncos at Raiders
- Chiefs at Chargers
- Bills at Dolphins
MORE: Week 18 NFL picks
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