5 NFL teams that must win in Week 16

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The other half of the NFC East title game, the Philadelphia Eagles are now in desperation mode. A few bad losses earlier this season could come back to haunt the Eagles dearly, leaving them in a position where they have to win or be eliminated from the playoffs.

The biggest problem for the Eagles this year has been the injury bug, which has basically wiped them out in droves at position groups. The hardest-hit spots have been the secondary, which has been down as many as four corners at one point, and the wide receiver group.

DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery are out for the year while Nelson Agholor is trying to work his way back from a knee injury, meaning Carson Wentz’s top two targets outside of Zach Ertz are Greg Ward and rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Add in the absences of defensive end Derek Barnett, right tackle Lane Johnson, and running back Jordan Howard among others and it is clear the Eagles are in trouble.

While both the Eagles and Cowboys need a win in their matchup on Sunday, Dallas has a back door to the division even if they lose due to their earlier head-to-head win over the Eagles. If the Cowboys bounced back with a win next week and the Eagles lost to the Giants, Dallas would still get into the playoffs ahead of Philadelphia on the basis of division record.

The Eagles don’t have that luxury, with a loss to the Cowboys giving Dallas a season sweep, which is the first tiebreaker in the division. The math makes it fairly obvious that the Eagles are the team most in need of a victory on Sunday.