The playoffs are here and believe it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles have been invited. A strong close to the season saw Nick Sirianni and his dominant rushing offense bully their way to a playoff berth and although it was locked up before yesterday’s slate, the events of yesterday completed the picture. Here’s everything you need to know.
Playoff picture
The Eagles will travel Tampa Bay to seek revenge on the Bucs this weekend. There are so many fun narratives to this match, be it the rent being free in Tom Brady’s head, or a chance to avenge a 2003 playoff heartbreak, and that’s not even taking into account the fact that the Eagles only lost by one possession earlier in the year.
A win against Tampa Bay would mean the Eagles face Green Bay in the next round. What a chance this would be for Jalen Hurts to debunk the ‘hasn’t beaten a good QB’ narrative by having a chance to go toe-to-toe with two of the best to ever do it.
NFL Draft picks
Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts found a way to fumble the bag against the Jacksonville Jaguars, costing them a playoff spot and giving the Eagles a better first-round pick. What. A. Vibe.
The Eagles now hold picks 15 (MIA) and 16 (IND), with their own obviously now slipping into the 20’s due to a postseason appearance.
The fact that they shipped off Carson Wentz for the 16th overall pick and a ton of cap-relief and then proceeded to make the playoffs while Indianapolis fell at the final hurdle is so poetically beautiful. You seriously can’t write it.
2022 opponents
The ending of the 2021-22 regular season means that we now know who the Eagles will face next year:
Home Games
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Football Team
AWAY GAMES
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Houston Texans
New York Giants
Washington Football Team
At first glance, there are some really enticing matchups. The Eagles will get their first look at Trevor Lawrence and travel to Indianapolis to face some old friends, while also entertaining Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins in Arizona.
As far as home games go, the Titans rushing attack vs Eagles rushing attack could be an absolute slobber-knocker of a matchup, and the Jefferson vs Reagor bowl will finally get the spotlight it so wrongfully deserves.
Overall, it’s a pretty nicely weighted schedule, similar to what we saw this year. There are some big-time franchises that the team will have to run through, but providing that the NFC East remains a trainwreck, the Eagles should have a real shot at making the postseason for the second year in a row.
Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire
