In past seasons, Philadelphia Eagles fans generally rooted for their own team, and kept an eye on the rest of the NFC East. Ever since they won their first Super Bowl, and now that they are consistently contenders to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, it's perhaps worth keeping tabs on the conference, as opposed to just the division.
And so, each week we'll lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule, and yes, I'm aware that most of the below is obvious.
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• Cowboys at Washington: Very clearly, the Eagles' biggest threat in the NFC East is the Cowboys, with the Giants and Washington team trailing far behind. Any losses for the Cowboys are ideal.
Saints at Rams: I think that with this matchup, the Eagles have proven that they have the Rams' number, while they struggle with the Saints. Therefore, the more the Saints lose, the better.
• Seahawks at Steelers: Clearly a Steelers win is more ideal here, as the Seahawks remain a thorn in the Eagles side.
• Bears at Broncos: (Almost) any AFC win over an NFC team is ideal, unless the NFC team needs wins to screw up their own draft position. Here, the Bears are contenders and an 0-2 start for them would help the Eagles.
• Vikings at Packers: The Vikings are a fringe contender in the NFC, while the Packers have a great QB but are otherwise a rudderless franchise at the moment. Root for the Packers to get to 2-0 over the Vikings.
• 49ers at Bengals: If the crappy Niners somehow snuck into the playoffs, that would be a good thing for the Eagles.
• Chargers at Lions: Uh, not to be repetitive, but if the crappy Lions somehow snuck into the playoffs, that would be a good thing for the Eagles.
• Bills at Giants: The Giants aren't going anywhere, and it's better for the Eagles if they don't end up with a top five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Irrelevant to the Eagles:
- Colts at Titans
- Patri*ts at Dolphins
- Cardinals at Ravens
- Jaguars at Texans
- Chiefs at Raiders
- Browns at Jets
MORE: Mailbag: Should Eagles trade for Dolphins CB/S Minkah Fitzpatrick?
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