Week 6 non-Eagles rooting guide

The Eagles could use some help in the standings this week.

There's some legitimate debate over whether a Cowboys win over the Lions is more ideal than a Cowboys loss.
Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images

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.

NFC East

Lions at Cowboys: If the Eagles were 4-0 or 3-1, there'd maybe be an argument that the Cowboys would be a more ideal winner in this game, not the Lions. The Lions are a bigger threat in the NFC than the Cowboys, and having a first-round bye in the playoffs is kind of a big deal. However, the Eagles don't look like they're among the cream of the crop in the NFC at the moment, and winning the division feels like a much more reasonable achievement on the wish list than the 1 seed. And so, with where the Eagles are right now, a Cowboys loss is more ideal.

• Commanders at Ravens: If this Commanders team is able to beat the tried-and-true Ravens on the road, the NFL world is going to have to start taking them seriously as a Super Bowl contender. 

Bengals at Giants: The Giants aren't a good team, but they have a couple of road wins and appear to at least be better than the NFL's trash (the Panthers, Browns, Patriots, etc.). They'll win some more games this year, and likely won't be in contention for a top 5 pick that could be used on a franchise quarterback, so you can probably feel OK about rooting for them to lose.

NFC vs. NFC

• Buccaneers at Saints: Todd Bowles and the Bucs have consistently proven that they have answers for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense, so it's more ideal if the Saints or Falcons win that division. 

Falcons at Panthers: See above.

Cardinals at Packers: As long as we're on the NFC West here with the Cardinals, let's quickly note that the 49ers beat the Seahawks on Thursday night. That division now looks like this:

 NFC WestRecord Div record 
 49ers3-3 1-2 
 Seahawks3-3 0-1 
 Cardinals2-3 2-0 
 Rams1-4 1-1 


So after the Niners' terrible vibes all offseason, a bunch of injuries to their best players, and a few bad losses to start the 2024 season, they're still currently in first place in the NFC West.

The Cardinals aren't really a threat to win that division, but it's ideal if they beat the Packers, who in my opinion look like Super Bowl contenders after staying alive despite missing Jordan Love for two games.

NFC vs. AFC

• Jaguars at Bears: Should the Eagles win the NFC East and have to play a wildcard team in the first round of the playoffs, the Bears would be an ideal opponent.

For future reference

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.

  1. Steelers at Raiders
The Eagles play the Steelers Week 15.

Irrelevant to the Eagles

  1. Colts at Titans
  2. Texans at Patriots
  3. Chargers at Broncos
  4. Bills at Jets
BYE: Vikings, Chiefs, Rams, Dolphins.


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