November 05, 2017
During the early Sunday games, the Philadelphia Eagles took care of business against the Denver Broncos, bringing their record to 8-1, and then had the luxury of watching the rest of the action unfold around the NFL.
Here's what went right, and wrong, for the Eagles on Sunday:
• The Redskins beat the Seahawks: The Eagles completed a sweep of the Redskins this season, and match up well against them. The Redskins are not a threat to overtake the Eagles in the NFC East divisional race this season. The Seahawks, on the other hand, have won at least one playoff game in each of the last five seasons. They are 8-4 in the playoffs overall since 2012 and 5-0 at home. That would include two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl win. Under no circumstances do the Eagles want to play in Seattle in the playoffs.
• The Panthers beat the Falcons: The Falcons have legitimate star power on offense, with 2016 MVP Matt Ryan, All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones, and a pair of very good running backs in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Of the Panthers and Falcons, the Falcons are the more dangerous team, especially at home. With the Falcons now 3.5 games behind the Philly, the Eagles won't have to worry about having to play in Atlanta in the playoffs, barring a major collapse.
• The Cardinals beat the 49ers: The Cardinals are garbage, but they're 4-4 and still technically in the hunt. If they somehow got into the playoffs instead of some other team with legitimate talent, that would be ideal for the Eagles.
• The Cowboys beat the Chiefs: This doesn't need to be explained, right?
That said, the Cowboys may be undermanned offensively over the next few weeks. In addition to the pending Ezekiel Elliott suspension, the Cowboys suffered a pair of injuries to their starting wide receivers Sunday. According to Dr. David Chao, who has been reviewing video of injuries and giving his quick diagnoses with pretty good accuracy, Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams may have each suffered high ankle sprains.
By video, @dallascowboys WRs with a pair of high ankle sprains.@DezBryant & @TerranceWill2
— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) November 6, 2017
The Cowboys play in Atlanta next week. If the Cowboys are without Elliott, Bryant, and Williams, that will be a tough matchup.
• The Saints beat the Buccaneers: Again, like we noted with the Seahawks above, the Eagles do not want to have to play the Saints on the road in the playoffs. The Saints are now 6-2. They are a dangerous team.
• The Rams beat the Giants: Again, this one shouldn't need much explanation. The Rams are now 6-2 with the best point differential in the NFC, at +108. They are legit. Meanwhile, with the Giants' season long since over, any win they get the rest of the way just messes up their draft position.
An updated look at the NFC standings:
| Seed | NFC | Record | Div record | Conf record |
| 1 | Eagles | 8-1 | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| 2 | Saints | 6-2 | 2-0 | 5-1 |
| 3 | Vikings | 6-2 | 2-1 | 4-1 |
| 4 | Rams | 6-2 | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| 5 | Panthers | 6-3 | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| 6 | Cowboys | 5-3 | 2-0 | 4-2 |
| - | Seahawks | 5-3 | 2-0 | 3-2 |
| - | Packers | 4-3 | 1-1 | 3-3 |
| - | Falcons | 4-4 | 0-1 | 3-1 |
| - | Redskins | 4-4 | 0-3 | 3-3 |
| - | Cardinals | 4-4 | 2-1 | 3-4 |
| - | Lions | 3-4 | 1-0 | 3-3 |
| - | Bears | 3-5 | 0-2 | 1-5 |
| - | Buccaneers | 2-6 | 0-2 | 2-4 |
| - | Giants | 1-7 | 0-2 | 0-6 |
| - | 49ers | 0-8 | 0-4 | 0-8 |
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