The Philadelphia Eagles ended 2023 with a shocking defeat against the lowly Arizona Cardinals. Compounding the disappointment is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys controversially beat the Detroit Lions less than 24 hours before. What has this done to the NFL playoff picture and Philadelphia’s Super Bowl chances?
Can the Eagles still win the NFC East?
The short answer is ‘yes’, but the long answer is, unfortunately, more complicated. The Eagles and Cowboys both sit at 11-5. Philadelphia faces the Giants next weekend, while the Cowboys are 13-point favorites over the Commanders.
The Eagles have to beat the Giants if they are to win the NFC East, and they’ll also need the Commanders to somehow upset the Cowboys. It’s not impossible, and there is a chance that Dallas rests its starters. However, even that is unlikely due to the scheduling.
The four NFC East outfits will lock horns at 4:25PM on CBS. This means that Dallas will have no idea what the Eagles score is, and vice-versa, at kickoff. The difference between a divisional crown and a loss is monumental (as I’ll explain shortly), so the chance of either team resting starters is minimal, with the stakes being extremely high.
What happens if the Cowboys win the division?
The most likely scenario this weekend is that the Cowboys win the NFC East. This would mean that the Philadelphia Eagles would face the NFC South winners (Tampa Bay Buccaneers New Orleans Saints, or potentially Atlanta Falcons) as the #5 seed.
The Eagles’ road to the Super Bowl
Tampa Bay faces Carolina, while the Saints and Falcons will lock horns. If Tampa Bay wins, they’re divisional champs. If they lose, then whoever wins out of New Orleans and Atlanta will flame the NFC South and face Philadelphia in the playoffs.
If the Eagles beat the NFC South champions, they’ll then move on to face the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. The Niners slapped the Eagles 42-19 just a few short weeks ago and it’s not like the Birds have shown much hope of becoming a team who can change that outcome.
If they somehow beat the Niners, a clash against Dallas, Green Bay, Detroit, or Los Angeles awaits. If we’re being honest, it’s likely going to be the Cowboys, which would again be a game against a team who have recently humbled the Birds.
The path to a Super Bowl berth is a bumpy one, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl chances
Once joint-favorites to win the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles are now +1100 to win the Lombardi Trophy. The San Francisco 49ers are favorites at +250, and the Cowboys are +850. So even if the Eagles did win the NFC East, it’s not like Vegas would grade their chances overwhelmingly better.
The full odds can be seen here:
| San Francisco 49ers | +220 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +300 |
| Buffalo Bills | +800 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +850 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +950 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1100 |
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
