It feels like the season is in a little bit of a holding pattern right now. The Philadelphia Eagles are 11-2, have clinched a playoff berth, are in firm control of the NFC East, and have a very small chance of getting the top seed in the NFC… but there are still four weeks left in the regular season.
They play the Steelers, the Commanders, the Cowboys, and the Giants. It seems like this is a stretch where the team just needs to avoid injuries to go into the postseason at full strength and there’s not a whole lot else. Fortunately (but actually, unfortunately), the Eagles have some work to do against some low-quality opponents.
The last four weeks for the Eagles have some significance.
No matter which way you crack it, the Eagles passing offense needs work. It’s been relatively lackluster all season, but it hit its floor against the Panthers on Sunday. The Eagles will be able to use at least two of their final three games to hone in on the passing game against the Commanders’ and Cowboys’ bad defenses.
That’s just an overarching thing though. Every individual week has its own specific quirks for the Eagles, in their games and games around the league.
Week 15:
The Eagles can win the NFC East as early as Week 15. It would take a win over the Steelers in their game and the Commanders losing in New Orleans. If that happens, then hopefully Nick Sirianni and the gang will be more open to giving starters rest earlier in games when they can.
On top of that, this is another opportunity for Saquon to rack up some serious numbers. Yeah, the Steelers have a good running defense but so did the Ravens, and Saquon put up 107 yards on them. If the Eagles can get their passing game going, it’ll only make Saquon’s job even easier.
Outside of the Eagles game, the Lions are playing the Bills. It feels like a very long shot for the Eagles to get the top seed in the NFC, but there is a chance that the Vikings could get that top seed.
Playing the Vikings in Minnesota for the NFC Championship game is MUCH less daunting than having to play in Detroit. If they don’t get the No. 1 seed, Detroit would also have to play an away game in the Wild Card round. For all of that to happen, the Vikings will need to win out and the Lions will need to lose one game. If Detroit is going to lose a game, the one against the Bills is the best shot.
Week 16:
If the Eagles lose against the Steelers or the Commanders win against the Saints, this is the game that would win the Eagles the division, so it has the potential to be pretty important.
Another big reason it’d mean a lot is because the Commanders are looking like they’ll be the seventh seed in the playoffs, which means they would be the Eagles' match-up in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
They say, ‘It’s hard to beat a team twice.’ While that is true, it’s quite the opposite of beating a team three times. Since the merger of the NFC and the AFC in 1970, there have been 25 cases of teams going for a three-game sweep of a divisional opponent, and teams going for that sweep have a record of 16-9 (64% win rate). So that’s pretty neat.
The Vikings will be playing in Seattle but more importantly, the Lions will be playing in Chicago. It’s still about two weeks out from that game right now, but the forecast says there is a high of 35 degrees and a 25% chance of precipitation in Chicago on December 22nd. If you buy into the ‘Jared Goff is an indoor cat’ narrative, this might be a game where he gets exposed.
Week 17:
This is the Eagles' second Kelly Green game, and it’ll be against the Cowboys. Life is more fun when a game against the Cowboys has some juice going into it, but that’s not the case here.
The Cowboys’ season is done. Right now, they’re not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but by Week 17 they almost definitely will be. They’ll be collecting paychecks and talking about where they’ll golf in two weeks.
That being said, it’ll be Dallas week which is always something. If the Eagles win this game, it’d be the first time they’ve swept the Cowboys since 2011. That part probably doesn’t mean anything to the players, but it’ll be a neat storyline going into a late-season division game between a Super Bowl contender and a team that’s ready to quit.
Also, Saquon only rushed for 66 yards in the first Cowboys game. If Saquon ends up breaking the rushing record and winning one of the MVP or Offensive Player of the Year awards, delusional Cowboys fans will never stop talking about how their defense held him to fewer than 100 yards.
Depending on whether or not the Eagles will need to play starters in Week 18, this could be Saquon’s last chance to break records and juice his numbers.
Week 18:
The Eagles get the Giants at home for the regular season finale. Unless there’s a shake-up in the NFC North, this game won’t mean anything.
Maybe they’ll put Saquon in the game as a last-ditch effort to break the record, but that’d also mean the starting offensive line would be in too. For a team with championship aspirations, that’s simply not worth the risk.
The bigger game that day will be between the Vikings and the Lions in Detroit. If Detroit loses a game and the Vikings roll, this game would decide the NFC North and the top seed in the NFC. Just cross your fingers that it comes down to this and Sam Darnold plays the best game of his life… because that means it’s all downhill from there for him.