September 29, 2024
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. And yes, I'm aware that most of the below is obvious. Ideal winners bolded.
The Cowboys beat the Giants on Thursday night. A Giants win in that matchup would have been more ideal, however, the Cowboys looked like a very flawed team, as they did Weeks 2 and 3, when they were easily handled at home by the Saints and Ravens.
• Commanders at Cardinals: The Commanders' defense is a mess, but it's pretty clear already that Jayden Daniels can play a little bit, and Commanders fans have something to be excited about at quarterback for the first time since Robert Griffin III's rookie season. They're 2-1, with an exciting road win in Cincinnati last week. With a second consecutive road win in Arizona they'd have to be taken seriously as a contender in the NFC East. Eagles fans should hope that they are merely a team on the rise, as opposed to another team that can challenge them for the division.
• Vikings at Packers: There are a couple of interesting divisional rivalry games this weekend, thus making for good discussion on who the ideal division winners would be. In my opinion, the Packers are more dangerous with a healthy Jordan Love than the Vikings. They showed last season during the playoffs that when they get hot, they can beat any team in the league.
I'd be more worried about them in January than the Vikings, who have started the season red hot, mainly due to strong play from Sam Darnold on offense and Brian Flores' scheme on defense. I'm not sure how sustainable the Vikings' success will be, while I'm already sold on the Packers' potential. So, the Vikings are the ideal winner here, in my opinion, even if a win would get them to 4-0.
• Saints at Falcons: This is the other interesting divisional matchup. I don't buy the Falcons at all as contenders. They're strong at positions like RB, S, and RG. However, they do not have a pass rush, their OL is shaky, and their rickety 36-year-old QB has one career playoff win. I just don't see it. The Saints, meanwhile, are dangerous in that when they're on, they can blow teams out. They were 7th in point differential last year (+75), and they're second so far in 2024 (+59).
The Falcons would be a welcomed playoff opponent, while the Saints pose more challenges offensively and defensively.
• Rams at Bears: At some point the Rams are going to get all their star skill players and injured offensive linemen back, so it's best if they rack up a bunch of losses in the interim. The Bears, meanwhile, would be as ideal a playoff opponent as a team could ask for.
• Seahawks at Lions: The Lions are obviously Super Bowl contenders. The Seahawks are a tier or two below them, even with a 3-0 start. The Seahawks also have an early two-game edge on the 49ers in the NFC West, and it would be more ideal if they could maintain or grow that lead.
• Patriots at 49ers: The Niners are the big bad in the NFC. All losses are welcomed.
The following bolded teams play the Eagles this season, so they're just worth keeping an eye on, but it doesn't really matter who wins these games, except for the Panthers, who are contenders the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Better them than the Giants.
The Eagles play the Browns Week 6, the Jaguars Week 9, the Ravens Week 13, the Panthers Week 14, and the Steelers Week 15.
On a side note, the Eagles' remaining opponents have a combined record of 19-27 (0.413):
| Week | Opponent | Record |
| 4 | Buccaneers | 2-1 |
| 6 | Browns | 1-2 |
| 7 | Giants | 1-3 |
| 8 | Bengals | 0-3 |
| 9 | Jaguars | 0-3 |
| 10 | Cowboys | 2-2 |
| 11 | Commanders | 2-1 |
| 12 | Rams | 1-2 |
| 13 | Ravens | 1-2 |
| 14 | Panthers | 1-2 |
| 15 | Steelers | 3-0 |
| 16 | Commanders | 2-1 |
| 17 | Cowboys | 2-2 |
| 18 | Giants | 1-3 |
A number of the teams above — like the Cowboys, Bengals, Jaguars, and Ravens — have not looked as good a preseason projections.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
