The Philadelphia Eagles had a wild few days last weekend. Between the injuries for Jalen Hurts, clinching a playoff spot Sunday, and then losing on Monday, it was quite the roller coaster of emotions. Now the Eagles head into Week 16 knowing that any margin for error they had when it came to the NFC East and NFC No. 1 seed has all but gone out of the window.
Eagles Playoff Chances | Week 16 Update
Note that this article was originally published on Dec. 24. The results of this week’s games are below and will continue to be updated throughout the day.
After Week 16, the Eagles are the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
1 p.m. ET Games Update
Falcons (7-8) defeated Colts (8-7)
Seahawks (8-7) defeated Titans (5-10)
Packers (7-8) defeated Panthers (2-13)
Lions (11-4) defeated Vikings (7-8)
4 p.m. ET Games Update
Dolphins (11-4) defeated Cowboys (10-5)
Christmas Day Update
Eagles (11-4) defeated Giants (5-10)
Ravens (12-3) defeated 49ers (11-4)
Keep reading below to see the playoff scenarios for the Eagles entering Week 16. And head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff bracket.
What Are the Philadelphia Eagles’ Playoff Scenarios for Winning the NFC East?
This weekend could not have gone less to plan for the Eagles in terms of the race for the NFC East. Clinching a playoff spot was a bare minimum this year, with the NFC East and ultimately the No. 1 seed in the NFC being the goal. Entering Week 16, ESPN’s Football Power Index still gives the Eagles a 70% chance of winning the division this season, but their security blanket has slipped a little.
Before last week, the Eagles knew that winning out would guarantee them the division, thanks to their standing in terms of NFL playoff tiebreakers. However, that is no longer the case because their defeat by the Seahawks has left them with the same number of common game and conference losses as the Dallas Cowboys.
Philadelphia still has a 16-game lead in terms of strength of victory (SOV), but the Cowboys have an outside chance of closing that. Dallas faces two 10-win teams in the next two weeks, while the Eagles face teams with five and three wins.
If both teams go 2-0, that would close that gap by potentially 16 games. You still have to take into account the other games being played by teams they defeated, but it would be much closer.
There is a very real chance that we could come down to Week 18 with the potential of having to watch SOV and strength of schedule (SOS) numbers for the Cowboys and Eagles. Incredibly, we could be getting to the fifth or sixth divisional tiebreakers to separate the Cowboys and Eagles this season.
What the Eagles cannot afford is to lose any of their remaining three games. All three are conference games, and two are divisional games. The Eagles and Cowboys are currently tied on the divisional record, common game, and conference record tiebreakers. The common opponent record is somewhat mute as both teams have three common opponents remaining.
MORE:Â NFL Week 16 Playoff Bracket
If the Eagles lose to the Giants and the Cowboys beat Washington in Week 18, Dallas would win any ties based on divisional record (5-1 vs. 4-2). If they lost to the Cardinals and the Cowboys dropped their game to the Miami Dolphins, the Cowboys would win any ties based on conference record.
You would fully expect the Eagles to beat the Giants and Cardinals twice, but we didn’t expect them to lose to a Drew Lock-led Seattle Seahawks, either. The NFC East looks set to potentially go right down to Week 18, and we may need to get the pen and paper out during that final Sunday to work out who takes the division.
Can the Eagles Still Clinch the NFC No. 1 Seed?
The Eagles’ loss on Monday Night Football has put themselves in a big hole in the race for the NFC No. 1 seed. The thinking from many entering last week was to win out and hope the San Francisco 49ers stumbled against the Baltimore Ravens to open the door. After last week’s loss, the Eagles now need the 49ers to lose two of their remaining three and be perfect themselves.
On top of all that, they need to keep the Dallas Cowboys at bay, which is really out of their hands. For the most part, the 49ers are the biggest concern, but imagine if Philadelphia misses out on the NFC No.1 seed because the 49ers lose twice and Dallas takes the division by one game on SOV or SOS.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
