The Philadelphia Eagles are not going into the postseason with momentum on their side since they have lost four of their previous five games and as a result, they have lost control of the National Football Conference East. In order for Philadelphia to win the NFC East championship, they not only need to defeat the New York Giants on Sunday, but they also need the Dallas Cowboys to suffer a defeat at the hands of the Washington Commanders.
If the Cowboys are victorious, the Eagles will start the playoffs as the fifth seed, and they will play the NFC South champion in the Wild Card Round. The winner of the Wild Card Round has not yet been determined. No matter who they face in the postseason, the Eagles need to win in order to gain some confidence heading into the postseason. At this moment, they are unable to concentrate on winning the NFC East championship.
The Eagles will visit the Meadowlands to play the Giants in the final game of the regular season. The playoffs are getting closer, and the Eagles are getting ready to do so. As the Eagles come to the end of the regular season, these are five questions that they need answers to.
1. Will the players who started the game participate?
Despite the fact that it is difficult to imagine the Cowboys losing to the Commanders, the Eagles still have the opportunity to win the NFC East Conference championship. The last week of the NFL season has been known to host a number of peculiar occurrences in the past, like the victory of the Eagles in 2008. It was at this time that they required a defeat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6) to the Oakland Raiders (4-11) and a loss by the Chicago Bears (9-6) to the Houston Texans (7-8) in order to even play in a winner-take-all game against the Dallas Cowboys (9-6) for a postseason spot. Philadelphia won the game by a score of 44-6.
For the Eagles supporters who were alive during the final day of the 2008 season, it is not completely out of the question for them to finish in first place in their division. With the division championship on the line, you can anticipate the Eagles to play their starters this week; however, it is quite likely that Darius Slay (knee) and DeVonta Smith (ankle) will not be able to participate.
2. What are the possible outcomes of the postseason?
Let’s make an effort to simplify this as much as we possibly can. During the postseason, the Eagles have the potential to be either the No. 2 seed or the No. 5 seed. If the Eagles are victorious over the Giants and the Cowboys are defeated by the Commanders, then the Eagles will be granted the second seed in the playoffs. A victory by either the Eagles or the Cowboys would give the NFC East champion the second seed in the playoffs. The Eagles have the ability to play a victory tiebreaker against the Lions, which is the reason why they would be awarded the second seed in the tournament.
Should the Cowboys emerge victorious, the Eagles would be elevated to the fifth seed in the playoffs, and they would be selected to face the NFC South champion in the Wild Card Round.
3. Who are the possible adversaries that could be encountered?
In the event that the Eagles are selected as the fifth seed, they will face either the Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints, or the Atlanta Falcons, who had previously won the NFC South championship. The Buccaneers will win, New Orleans will win if the Saints defeat Atlanta and Tampa Bay loses, and Atlanta will win if the Falcons defeat the Saints and Tampa Bay loses. Tampa Bay will get the Buccaneers.
If the Eagles are victorious and the Cowboys are defeated, the Eagles will earn the second seed in the playoffs and will be able to host at least two of their playoff games at Lincoln Financial Field. From this point on, the possible adversary becomes more challenging.
It is possible that the Saints, the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Minnesota Vikings, or the Seattle Seahawks will appear as this opponent.