The Eagles still have to wait another day until their Tuesday night kickoff against Washington, but their road to the playoffs got a little bit tougher with the results on Sunday.
The Eagles were knocked down to 10th place in the NFC on Sunday with the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints both winning their games. The 49ers were expected to beat the Atlanta Falcons, but the Saints upset of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers was a big one, as it moved the Saints to 7-7 and into the final Wild Card spot.
The good news for the Eagles is that they have the head-to-head tie breaker over the Saints, so they still will pass the Saints in the standings if they win out.
An updated look at the standings:
1 Packers (11-3, clinched playoff spot)
2 Cowboys (10-4)
3 Buccaneers (10-4)
4 Cardinals (10-4)
5 Rams (9-4)
6 49ers (8-6)
7 Saints (7-7)
8 Washington (6-7)
9 Vikings (6-7)
10 Eagles (6-7)
The Eagles won't be catching the Rams at this point. They would need to win out and have the 49ers lose at least one game to pass them. The 49ers losing another game is certainly possible, as they have trips to Tennessee and a matchup vs. the Rams still on their schedule. Most likely, however, the 49ers will finish either 11-6 or 10-7 — making it tough for the Eagles to pass them.
The reality is that with four games to go the Eagles hopes at the playoffs rest on capturing the final Wild Card spot.
To make the playoffs the Eagles have to at least one thing happen -- a Minnesota loss. The Eagles could win out, but if Minnesota wins out as well, the Eagles would be on the outside looking in.
A Vikings loss is certainly possible. Their four remaining games are against Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams and twice against Chicago. A loss in any of those four, combined with the Eagles winning out, would put the Eagles in the playoffs.
If the Eagles don't win out, and lose once to finish 9-8, they would need a few things.
First, they would need two Minnesota losses. They would need at least one more Saints loss. They would need Washington to lose twice. The Eagles could handle the last one on their own, as they play Washington twice. Minnesota losing twice and the Saints losing once isn't crazy, and might even be likely, but counting on it is risky.
Even after all the results on Sunday, the bottom line remains the same for the Eagles.
They have three very winnable games coming up. They will likely be favored in all three, and if Dallas rests their starters in Week 18, they will be favored in that one as well.
If they take care of business by winning all four games they are almost certainly going to be in the playoffs.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
