Philadelphia Eagles Fail To Seize Control of NFC Playoff Race with Loss to New York Jets

The Philadelphia Eagles missed a major opportunity by losing in Week 6.

The Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to seize control of the NFC playoff picture with a win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Instead, it felt like the offensive gameplan for much of the day was to get out of the way of quarterback Jalen Hurts and hope he did something amazing, which did result in some impressive plays, but ultimately ended in three interceptions and a 20-14 loss to the undermanned Jets. 

Of course, the Eagles weren't going to go undefeated. With a 17-game regular season, it feels unlikely any team will ever complete an undefeated season. We now know that no team will in 2023, as the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers -- the two remaining undefeated teams entering Week 6 -- both lost Sunday. 

But the 49ers loss arguably makes the Eagles losing a game that they entered as 6.5-point favorites that much tougher of a pill to swallow. For however silly the kicking and screaming from the 49ers and their fanbase may have been after last year's NFC Championship Game, San Francisco has unquestionably been more impressive than the Eagles to this point in 2023. However, they slipped up in a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon, leaving the door open for the Eagles to move into sole possession of the top seed in the NFC. But the Eagles failed to walk through the door. 

Quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the New York Jets Sunday.  / USA Today

The Eagles also failed to gain ground on the 3-2 Dallas Cowboys, both in the NFC East and NFC as a whole. Dallas has lost two of their last three games, and has a tough matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football tomorrow evening. Had the Eagles moved to 6-0, they could have taken a commanding lead in the division, perhaps moving three games ahead of the Cowboys, if Dallas were to lose tomorrow. 

Quietly, the Detroit Lions also moved to 5-1 Sunday after a 20-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With losses from both the 49ers and Eagles, coach Dan Campbell's Lions find themselves tied atop the NFC. 

All things considered, the Eagles are still in pretty good position to win their division and compete for the first-round bye/home-field advantage that comes with the No. 1 seed in the NFC. 

With that said, the 5-1 Miami Dolphins will visit Lincoln Financial Field next week for a Sunday Night Football tilt with the Eagles. And Philadelphia still has two matchups with the Cowboys, along with games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks on their schedule. Sunday was a missed opportunity to bank a win against an inferior team, which could come back to bite the Eagles when the postseason rolls around.