Another week, another loss.
The Eagles have now lost four of their last six games, and two in a row, following their loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The loss dropped their record to 5-6, and even with the Cowboys losing as well, their playoff odds seem to have taken a major hit.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the Eagles' playoff chances are now at 37%, a 24% drop from last week. The New York Times playoff predictor gives them an even smaller chance of making the playoffs, at just 29%.
Despite the low odds, the reality is that the path to the playoffs is still there.
Here is an updated look at the team's playoff picture after Sunday's action around the league:
NFC East:
The Cowboys lost a close game to the New England Patriots, dropping their record to 6-5, one game ahead of the Eagles.
The Cowboys' remaining schedule looks like this:
Home vs. Buffalo (8-3)
At Chicago (5-6)
Home vs. Los Angeles (6-4)
At Philadelphia (5-6)
Home vs. Washington (2-9)
Record of remaining opponents: 26-28
Of the Cowboys' five remaining games, they will likely be favorites in five of them, including their trip to Philadelphia later this season.
Anything is possible, but for now, it looks like there is a good chance the Cowboys come to Philadelphia in five weeks with a 9-5 or 8-6 record, with their most likely loss next week against Buffalo — who somehow keep finding a way to win.
The Eagles' schedule, after next Sunday, still looks favorable:
At Miami (2-9)
Home vs. Giants (2-9)
At Washington (2-9)
Home vs. Cowboys (6-5)
At Giants (2-9)
Record of remaining opponents: 14-41
The Eagles are officially out of the tough stretch of their schedule. It is possible that there isn't a single playoff team on their schedule the rest of the way. The Eagles will get a chance to get rolling in the next three weeks, with games vs. the Dolphins, Giants and Washington, three teams that are a combined 6-27. All three of those absolutely have to be wins if the Eagles fall to the Seahawks.
If the Eagles go 3-0, they would enter the critical matchup with the Cowboys at 8-6. If the Cowboys, as mentioned above, enter the game at either 8-6 or 9-5, the Eagles would either take the lead outright or tie them with a win. A loss would obviously end their season.
If the Eagles win in Week 16, and end the season with the same record as the Cowboys, the next tie breaker would be divisional records. If both teams win the games they are supposed to, they would each finish the season 5-1 in the NFC East, moving it to the third tie breaker.
The third tie breaker? Common opponents. The Eagles and the Cowboys have 12 games on their schedule against common opponents, including the division. The Eagles are 5-3 in the eight games they have played so far out of the 12. The Cowboys are 5-4. The Eagles remaining common opponent games are the Dolphins, Giants and Washington (twice). It is very possible, if the Eagles beat the Cowboys, they could win the tie breaker with a 9-3 record in common opponent games, with the Cowboys finishing 8-4.
If they were still tied after the third tie breaker, the fourth tie-breaker would be record against teams in the conference. Picking the likely favorite in each game, the two teams would tied there as well, each at 7-3.
Wild Card:
A result of the loss on Sunday? The chances at the Wild Card are almost over.
The Eagles are currently on the outside looking in at 5-6, trailing the Vikings (8-3) and Seahawks (9-2). They lost to both this season, which means they would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to both. So to pass either they will need to finish a game ahead of them — which his going to be borderline impossible to do, even if both teams collapse.
A look at the team's realistically still in the Wild Card hunt (using NFL.com's current order):
1. Seattle (9-2)
2. Vikings (7-3)
3. Los Angeles Rams (6-4)
4. Chicago Bears (5-6)
5. Eagles (5-6)
6. Panthers (5-6)
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
