Eagles Have Easiest Path to Final Spot in NFC Playoffs

There's plenty of football left to play but the holidays will be meaningful for the Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - The Wednesday snapshot after the Eagles’ business-like 27-17 win over the COVID-19 ravaged Washington Football Team has Nick Sirianni’s team on the outside, looking in at the NFC playoff picture.

With three weeks remaining in the regular season (hopefully, as COVID cases continue around the country with the latest league outbreak occurring in North Jersey with the New York Jets), the Eagles are one of three 7-7 teams, along with Minnesota and New Orleans.

The Vikings are currently the No. 7 seed and if this was 1977, the last season the NFL played 14 games, Minnesota would meet the current No. 2 seed Dallas in the first round of the playoffs.

The Eagles would be the first team on the wrong side of the demarcation line as the No. 8 seed, followed by the Saints, who Philadelphia beat 40-29 back on Nov. 21.

Of course, it’s 2021 and the NFL now plays 17 games and the schedule is where the Eagles may have the advantage.

Minnesota, which has struggled mightily on defense this season, has two high-octane offenses coming up over the next two weeks before a Week 18 home finale against limping Chicago.

To get to the Bears in good shape, the Vikings have to find a way to beat two of the NFC’s best teams, the Los Angeles Rams, currently the No. 5 seed at 10-4, and perhaps the best team in football right now, top-seeded Green Bay at 11-3.

Notorious for playing up and down to their competition, the Vikings have already been good enough to top the Packers but also the first team to lose to then-winless Detriot Lions. Maybe the only consistent thing about Minnesota is its inconsistency so you can expect a hiccup along the way.

The Vikings, though, own the strength of schedule advantage over Philadelphia so passing them is paramount.

As for New Orleans, the Saints are riding high after an unlikely 9-0 shutout win without COVID-positive coach Sean Payton over the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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The remaining schedule for the Saints is easier than the Vikings’, with the biggest hurdle coming up this weekend against the suddenly hot Miami Dolphins, who have won six consecutive games after starting 1-7.

New Orleans will get the Fins at the Superdome, however, before finishing up against two NFC South foes: Carolina and at Atlanta.

That's not exactly a tough schedule but remember for the Saints, who have already won two straight, to finish 10-7 you'd be banking on a Taysom Hill-led team, with the limited Hill playing with a torn tendon in the middle finger of his throwing hand, to triumph five consecutive times.

At some point, the odds will correct themselves.

The Eagles, meanwhile, have the easiest remaining road, at least for the next two weeks when moribund New York visits Lincoln Financial Field without Daniel Jones and either Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm at quarterback, likely the latter.

From there, it’s the rematch against the WFT when Eagles fans will takeover FedEx Field. By then Ron Rivera would be hopeful of having back QBs Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, so while it won’t be as easy as toying with Garrett Gilbert, it’s not exactly facing Aaron Rodgers, either.

Then comes a different type of wild card in Week 18 against Dallas, arguably the most talented team in football.

If the Cowboys still have something to play for when it comes to the No. 1 seed or even what they would deem as meaningful positioning, it would be an uphill battle for the Eagles even with the game scheduled for South Philadelphia.

If the ‘Boys are locked in and resting players, however, the only thing between the Eagles and winning out would be self-inflicted damage.

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.