October 15, 2023

Week 6 non-Eagles rooting guide

Who should Eagles fans root for in Week 6? Jimmy Kempski provides the must-read guide.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Mike McCarthy gives Brandon Staley some pointers on how to squander supreme talent for decades and still remain a head coach in the NFL.

Each week during the NFL season we 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. Ideal winners bolded.

NFC East

The standings:

NFC East	Record	Division	GB
Eagles	5-0	1-0	-
Cowboys	3-2	1-0	2
Commanders	2-3	0-1	3
Giants	1-4	0-1	4

And here are the NFC East's common opponents outside of the division, and results so far:

Common Opponent	PHI	DAL	WAS	NYG
49ers		Loss		Loss
Cardinals		Loss	Win	Win
Rams	Win
Seahawks				Loss
Bills			Loss
Dolphins				Loss
Jets		Win
Patriots	Win	Win

• Cowboys at Chargers: On the one hand, the Cowboys have shown some resiliency by going 10-1 in games following a loss since 2021, as noted in my Week 6 picks. On the other hand, teams that play the 49ers typically do not fare well the following week. The Chargers are talented, but they can't help but Charger away games every single season. Obviously, all Cowboys losses benefit the Eagles.

• Giants at Bills: At some point, the Giants will be so far beaten down that Eagles fans will begin rooting for them to win some games so they don't end up with a high pick in the 2024 draft, and thus a more capable quarterback than Daniel Jones. We're almost there, but not yet.

• Commanders at Falcons: This is less about the Commanders, who are 2-3 with a -53 point differential. They stink. It's more about someone other than the Saints winning the NFC South, and the Falcons or Bucs would be ideal.

Draft pick watch

• Saints at Texans: The Eagles own the Saints' second-round pick. Let's fire up the PFF mock draft simulator! We'll do three rounds.

• Round 1: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
• Round 2 (from Saints): TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
• Round 2: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
• Round 3: Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State

Others in the NFC

• 49ers at Browns: The 49ers have looked like a juggernaut through the first five weeks of the season and are very clearly the Eagles' biggest threat in the NFC.

• Lions at Buccaneers: As noted above, it's ideal if someone other than the Saints win the NFC South, and the Bucs are a team that the Eagles can easily handle in the playoffs if that's how it all works out. But also, the 4-1 Lions look pretty good this season, and they have an easy schedule the rest of the way. They're a sneaky possibility for the 1 seed.

• Vikings at Bears: The Vikings play the 49ers next week. While they won't have Justin Jefferson for at least the next four weeks, it's better if they win this game so they perhaps hold off completely going into the tank and at least give the Niners a game. If they lose to the Bears they'll be 1-5 and could just start selling off assets.

• Seahawks at Bengals: The Seahawks are the only competition for the 49ers in the NFC West.

• Cardinals at Rams: 🤷‍♂️

For future reference

• Panthers at Dolphins: The Eagles play the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football next weekend. Ideally the Panthers will at least give the Dolphins a game so the Dolphins aren't pulling starters in the third quarter.