The Eagles latest win might have brought a quarterback controversy to town, but it also set them up nicely for a run into the playoffs.
In addition to the Eagles win over the Jets, the team had almost everything else break their way as they try to capture one of the final NFC Wild Card spots.
Not only did the San Francisco 49ers lose to Seattle, but the Minnesota Vikings lost to the previously winless Detroit Lions on a last-second touchdown. Add in the Atlanta Falcons losing, and the New Orleans Saints loss this past Thursday, and the Eagles are now set up perfectly in their quest to make the postseason.
Here is a look at the current standings:
NFC Playoff Standings:
1 Arizona Cardinals (10-2)
2 Green Bay Packers (9-3)
3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)
4 Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
5 Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
6 Washington (6-6)
7 San Francisco 49ers (6-6)
8 Eagles (6-7)
9 Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
10 Carolina Panthers (5-7)
11 Atlanta Falcons (5-7)
12 New Orleans Saints (5-7)
Working in the Eagles favor is that they have the tie breakers over Carolina, Atlanta and New Orleans, meaning if they finish with the same record as any of those three teams they would get the Wild Card spot over them.
The Eagles need San Francisco to lose twos game, but with their remaining schedule, that seems likely. The 49ers have games against the Rams, Titans and Bengals remaining. It would be very surprising if they won all three. They will likely be underdogs in all three games. If the 49ers lose one more game, the best they can finish is 9-8.
They will also need the Vikings to lose a game, but with games against the Packers, Rams and Steelers remaining, they are almost guaranteed to lose at least one. If they lose one game, the best the Vikings can finish is 9-8.
Washington has a game against the Giants, two games against the Cowboys and two games against the Eagles left. Those two games with Washington are obviously huge for the Eagles and could potentially decide one of the Wild Card spots. If the Eagles win both, the best Washington could finish is 9-8.
Despite all of the early-season struggles, and the ugly loss to the Giants, the Eagles now find themselves in a good spot heading into the final month of the season.
They need either two losess from San Francisco or one from Minnesota. They need to beat Washington twice and take care of business against the Giants at home. If they do that, they will be 9-7 heading in the final game against Dallas. If they win, they would be in. Considering how the rest of the race looks, if they go into the final week at 9-7, they very well could get in with a loss.
Things change week-to-week in the NFL, but if that happens, the Eagles have a great chance of making the playoffs -- something that many didn't think was possible prior to the season.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com
