November 19, 2017
Philadelphia Eagles fans have to wait until Sunday night to watch their Birds take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. However, there were a number of early games of importance to the Eagles and their pursuit of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Here's what went right and wrong for the Eagles in the early games:
• The Vikings beat the Rams: Heading into this game, my thinking was that the Rams were the better team, so a Vikings win would benefit the Eagles more than a Rams win. I'm not sure which team is better at this point. At any rate, both teams were 7-2 heading into this game, and a barring a tie, at least one of them was going to pick up their third loss. With any result, this game was going to be a win for the Eagles.
• The Packers lost to the Ravens: The last thing you want if you're the Eagles is to get a first-round bye and then have to face Aaron Rodgers in your first playoff game. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys. The further out of playoff contention the Packers can get before Rodgers returns, the better. Green Bay's loss to the Ravens leaves them at 5-5 with a road game in Pittsburgh next week.
• The Lions beat the Bears: The Lions are a non-threatening team that is better off in the playoffs, than, say, the Cowboys, Panthers, Falcons, or the Packers (with Rodgers), so if they can get in instead of a better team, that would be ideal. With their win over the Bears, the Lions are now 6-4.
• The Giants beat the Chiefs: With the Giants' dumpster fire season long since over, any games they can win the rest of the way will only hurt their draft pick positioning and keep Ben McAdoo on the sidelines longer. Ideally, when the Eagles play the Giants Week 15, McAdoo will still be the Giants' head coach and not some interim guy the team may play hard for. This win only hurts the Giants and their chances of landing whatever quarterback they like best in the 2018 NFL Draft.
• The Saints beat the Redskins: Earlier in the week, we identified the Saints as the Eagles' biggest threat in the NFC. The Redskins had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, nearly snapping the Saints' seven-game winning streak. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Redskins choked it away, and credit New Orleans for pulling out an improbable win. The Saints are now just a half game behind the Eagles, keeping the pressure on.
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