UPDATED: Here’s how the Eagles can book a playoff spot
By now, the three-way tie for the NFC East division lead has sparked a frenzy in the football world. Beyond just the three cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, sports markets across the nation are waiting in anticipation for the three-game season that will decide the NFC East, and likely, the host for the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs.
After the Eagles did everything to close up shop early, losing handily to the brutal Buccaneers and lowly Lions, they have soared to life. Chip Kelly engineered an epic upset in Foxboro that has catapulted Philadelphia back into the division race. Coupled with a sweet win over the now hated LeSean McCoy and his Bills, the victory over New England has given the Eagles a ticket to the East’s three act drama.
So how can the Eagles finish atop the East, and make the playoffs?
Eagles clinch with (3-0):
- 3 PHI win vs. ARZ, WAS, NYG (3-0)
First and foremost, the Eagles control their own destiny. If they are able to win their final three games, they would undoubtedly enter the playoffs with a five-game winning streak, no matter what the Redskins and Giants did. This is the ideal scenario, as a red hot Eagles team would be a force to be reckoned with. Since they’ve already taken down the Patriots—arguably the best team in the NFL—the Eagles will fear nobody, and will try to ride their run of good form to a deep playoff run.
Eagles clinch with (2-1):
- PHI loss to ARZ
- PHI win vs. WAS
- PHI win vs. NYG
This scenario seems more likely than the former, considering Arizona is one of the most complete teams in the NFL. The Cardinals only have two losses to their name, and is a 3.5-poimt favorite on the road heading into Sunday night. The Eagles would still qualify if they lost to Arizona and beat both Washington and New York. If the Redskins and Giants both go 2-1 (losing to the Eagles and winning their other two games), the Eagles would still win the division: even though all three teams would finish at 8-8, the Eagles would finish with the best division record at 4-2.
Eagles clinch with (2-1):
- PHI win vs. ARZ
- PHI loss to WAS
- PHI win vs. NYG
- WAS loss to DAL
This permutation proves the significance of the Eagles-Redskins game. Because the Redskins beat the Eagles already, Washington would be control the head-to-head tiebreaker, the division record tiebreaker, and would gaina game on the Eagles if they won next Saturday in Philadelphia. The Redskins have struggled on the road this year, but if they can find a way to win in Chicago, they would set up arguably the biggest game in the Chip Kelly era since the Eagles played the Cowboys in Dallas in 2013.
Eagles clinch with (2-1):
- PHI win vs. ARZ
- PHI win vs. WAS
- PHI loss to NYG
The Eagles would still win the division, but only after a slew of tiebreakers. If the above happens, all three teams would have equal record, division record, and equal record between each other (like a head-to-head-to-head record). After this, it comes down to common opponents, and since the Giants lost to Carolina, they will have a common opponents record below the Eagles (Redskins are assured a common opponent record worse than Eagles).
The Giants will have an equal common opponent record to Eagles (7-7), and it will come down to conference record. The Eagles would have a weaker conference record than the Giants, so the Giants would make the playoffs, according to the NFL tie breaking procedures.
Eagles clinch with (1-2):
- PHI loss to ARZ
- PHI win vs. WAS
- PHI loss to NYG
- NYG loss to MIN
- WAS loss to DAL
This way, all three teams end up 7-9, but the Redskins would have a lower division record than the Giants. To break the tie between the Eagles and Giants, it goes to common opponents, where the Eagles would have the edge if the above happened. Eagles cannot clinch if they go 1-2 and lose to the Redskins, so their season could very well end next week
A win tonight would set up an NFC East Super Bowl next week against Washington, and could go a long way to clinching the division a week early.
Photo: PhiladelphiaEagles.com
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