Eagles, Cowboys or 49ers Winning NFC? Bold Prediction Says Otherwise

While seedings are important and the Philadelphia Eagles should be the favorite to be the top one in the NFC to most people, one NFL.com writer thinks it'll be a team that comes out of nowhere to get it instead.

What if the Philadelphia Eagles don't get the No. 1 seed in the NFC this coming season?

It wouldn't be a disaster, but most Eagles fans would be lying if they said they wouldn't be at least a little disappointed. 

So then, which team would take the top spot if not Philadelphia? The San Francisco 49ers?

The Dallas Cowboys? Not even them.

According to NFL.com, it would be the winner of the NFC's weakest division from a season ago - the New Orleans Saints of the NFC South.

"On paper, the Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys are better than the Saints," NFL.com writes. "New Orleans has a spectacularly favorable schedule. That's what happens when you play in the NFC South and get to play the AFC South. Look at the sked: 13-4 feels viable for the Saints."

It's not the first time we've seen the strength of schedule influence a bold prediction like this one, but the league site doubles down with roster reasons why New Orleans comes out on top of the conference as well. 

"New quarterback Derek Carr is going to have a huge bounce-back season in the Big Easy," NFL.com wrote. "It's why I picked New Orleans as my Cinderella team of 2023 back in March."

Of course, the theory isn't baseless, and the Eagles themselves actually support the hypothesis.

Two seasons before Philadelphia represented the NFC in the Super Bowl, it was the Washington Commanders taking the only playoff spot from the NFC East division - and they did it with a losing record. 

Just last year, while the Commanders didn't earn postseason play, they finished 8-8-1 in a division with no losing records. 

So things can indeed turn on a dime. 

Fortunately for Philadelphia, Cinderella is fictional, and this bold prediction is likely to go down as a failed projection.

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