Sunday afternoon reference material.
The fourteenth Sunday of the 2024 NFL regular season is here! Let’s run through a Philadelphia Eagles-focused rooting guide for all of the Week 14 games.
THURSDAY NIGHT RECAP – No. 1 seed implications
GREEN BAY PACKERS at DETROIT LIONS: The Lions losing would’ve been a big deal for the Eagles’ pursuit of the No. 1 seed. But the Lions didn’t lose. And now the Eagles basically need to 1) win out and 2) see the Lions lose at least two of their remaining four games (vs. BUF, at CHI, at SF, vs. MIN) and 3) likely see Minnesota lose at least one of their remaining five games (vs. ATL, vs. CHI, at SEA, vs. GB, at DET) in order to get a first-round bye. Not impossible … but not likely. ESPN’s analytics model gives the Eagles a 15.3% chance at the No. 1 seed and an 81.9% chance at the No. 2 seed.
Updated NFC 1 seed scenarios following DET’s win:
1) #Eagles cannot win 15-2 tiebreakers so need DET to lose 2x (for sure) + MIN to lose 1x (almost surely barring an SOV miracle).
2) Eagles can win 14-3 tiebreaker but only if only loss is to PIT and DET loses 2x to NFC teams. pic.twitter.com/epIUTnE9Nw— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) December 6, 2024
HUNT FOR THE FIRST-ROUND BYE
CAROLINA PANTHERS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Gotta keep winning to keep the No. 1 seed dream alive. Also, an Eagles win sets up a scenario where they can officially clinch the NFC East as soon as Week 15. Go Birds.
NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
Here’s a look at the current NFC Playoff Picture via ESPN:
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ATLANTA FALCONS at MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Two reasons why the Eagles want the Falcons to win this game: 1) the Eagles would rather see the Falcons win the NFC South instead of Tampa and 2) the Eagles likely need the Vikings to lose at least one game in order for Philly to have a shot at the No. 1 seed. Root for the Falcons.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: The Bucs — the only team to defeat both the Lions and Eagles this season — are clearly a bigger postseason threat than the Falcons. The Eagles don’t want to see them win the NFC South or get a wild card spot. A black and silver lining to the Raiders losing is that it potentially keeps Las Vegas ahead of NYG in the draft order. Root for the Raiders.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at ARIZONA CARDINALS: The Eagles don’t want to see the Niners stay alive in the form of other NFC West teams failing to run away with the division. Best for the first-place Seahawks to take a more commanding lead. Root for the Seahawks.
BUFFALO BILLS at LOS ANGELES RAMS: The Rams winning only hurts the Niners’ playoff chances. Root for the Rams.
CHICAGO BEARS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: The Niners are probably already cooked but best to see them move even closer to being officially killed off. Root for the Bears.
DRAFT POSITIONING
The Eagles want to see the Giants and Cowboys pick up some meaningless wins to ruin their draft positioning. They also want to see other teams stay/move ahead of their NFC East rivals in the 2025 NFL Draft order. Speaking of, here’s the current outlook for projected non-playoff teams via Tankathon:
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NEW YORK GIANTS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: The Giants have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, so, winning games truly serves to only ruin their draft positioning. As an added bonus, the Saints losing helps to keep New Orleans ahead of the Cowboys in the draft order. Root for the Giants.
NEW YORK JETS at MIAMI DOLPHINS: The Jets losing gives them a chance to move ahead of the Giants. That would be ideal since the Jets are a threat to draft a quarterback. Root for the Dolphins.
CLEVELAND BROWNS at PITTSBURGH STEELERS: The Browns losing keeps them ahead of the Cowboys and gives them a chance to move ahead of the Giants. Root for the Steelers.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at TENNESSEE TITANS: The Jaguars losing keeps them ahead of the Giants. Root for the Titans.
CINCINNATI BENGALS at DALLAS COWBOYS: The Cowboys are not yet eliminated from playoff contention but a win really only serves to ruin their draft positioning. A Bengals loss also keeps Cincy above Dallas in the draft order. And the Cowboys just might keep Mike McCarthy if they keep winning (meaningless) games! Root for the Cowboys.
WHAT’S LEFT
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Probably best to keep Patrick Mahomes away from the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. Root for the Chargers.
BYE WEEK TEAMS
