The battle for the final two Wild Card spots is becoming a four-team race — and the Eagles remain very much in it.
The good news for the Eagles on Sunday was that Washington lost to Dallas, dropping them to 6-7. With two games left against Washington on the schedule, starting next week in Philadelphia, the Eagles can knock Washington out of the playoff race by beating them twice.
It wasn’t all good news for the Eagles, however, as the San Francisco 49ers pulled out an overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. The win put them one game ahead of the Eagles, and with the tie breaker in hand as well over, the 49ers are now into great position to get a Wild Card spot.
The Eagles now have a 39% chance of making the playoffs, per 538, with just a 1% chance of winning the division. The 49ers have a 76% chance, while the Vikings are at 35%.
Here is a look at the current standings after Sunday’s games:
NFC Playoff Standings:
1 Arizona Cardinals (10-2)
2 Green Bay Packers (10-3)
3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3)
4 Dallas Cowboys (9-4)
5 Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
6 San Francisco 49ers (7-6)
7 Washington (6-7)
8 Minnesota Vikings (6-7)
9 Eagles (6-7)
10 Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
11 New Orleans Saints (6-7)
12 Carolina Panthers (5-8)
The Rams play Arizona on Monday night, and if they lose, could potentially end up battling for a Wild Card spot. For now, however, let’s assume they get the top Wild Card spot and focus on the final two.
Although the Dallas win pretty much ends the Eagles chances of winning the NFC East, the loss by Washington means the Eagles have a very clear and realistic path to the playoffs.
If they win their final four games they would finish with a 10-7 record and almost certainly would get one of the final two Wild Card spots, as the only help they would need is Minnesota losing just one game. So the simplest path for the Eagles to getting in? Win out.
If the Eagles go 3-1 in their final four games, they would finish 9-8, but could still get in.
To start they would need Washington to lose two games, which they can take care of themselves as they play them twice in the final four games. If they split those games, the Eagles would need Washington to lose another game. The would also need Atlanta and New Orleans to lose one game, which is very likely, and Minnesota to lose two games. That is less likely, but with games coming up against the Packers and Rams, as well as two against division-rival Chicago, there is a decent chance the Vikings lose the two games needed to help the Eagles get in as the final Wild Card spot at 9-8.
Of course, both of these scenarios will require the Eagles to become something they have not been so far this season — consistent. The Eagles have shown they can beat the teams they are supposed to be, but they have won two games in a row only once this season. Winning four in a row, or three of the next four, won’t be easy.
If they can do it, however, they have a great chance of making it into the postseason.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com