Eagles rooting guide for Week 18 games

Sunday afternoon reference material.

The final weekend of the 2024 NFL regular season is here! Let’s run through a Philadelphia Eagles-focused rooting guide for all of the Week 18 games.

THE EAGLES’ WILD CARD OPPPONENT

The Eagles are locked in as the No. 2 seed and they’ll either host the Green Bay Packers or Washington Commanders in the Wild Card round.

There’s a case to be made the Commanders are the more preferable opponent. That case has been made by a majority of voters from this BGN poll:

My two cents: I think the Packers have the potential to be more dangerous.

I know the Eagles beat them back in Week 1. And I know they lost to both Detroit and Minnesota twice.

But people shouldn’t be sleeping on the Packers.

Take a look at these team rankings:

Eagles — 3rd in point differential, 4th in weighted DVOA

Packers — 5th in point differential, 2nd in weighted DVOA

Commanders — 9th in point differential, 7th in weighted DVOA

I’m not saying a playoff game against the Commanders is guaranteed to be a walk in the park but the Eagles were on track to blow out that team in their own building before Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion. I’d take my chances against them, even though Jayden Daniels is better than Jordan Love. And, on that front, quarterbacks making their first playoff start historically don’t win at a high rate.

To be clear, the Eagles will be favored against either team (assuming Hurts is back). But this rooting guide will operate with the premise that the Commanders are the more preferable Eagles first-round opponent.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS at DALLAS COWBOYS: The Eagles will play Washington as the No. 7 seed if 1) the Commanders lose here and 2) the Packers beat Chicago. As an added bonus, Dallas winning prevents their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft being as high as No. 11 and instead could drop it to as low as No. 17. Root for the Cowboys.

CHICAGO BEARS at GREEN BAY PACKERS: A Washington loss and a Packers win sends the Commanders to Philly in the Wild Card round. As an added bonus, a Bears loss allows for the chance of them moving ahead of NYG in the draft order. Root for the Packers.

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

CAROLINA PANTHERS at ATLANTA FALCONS: The Eagles would rather the Falcons win the NFC South instead of Tampa Bay. As an added bonus, the Panthers losing gives them a chance to move ahead of NYG in the draft order. Root for the Falcons.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: If the Falcons win and the Bucs lose, Atlanta wins the NFC South and Tampa misses the playoffs entirely. Root for the Saints.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at LOS ANGELES RAMS: Sean McVay is resting starters even though the Rams can drop to the No. 4 seed and have to play either Detroit or Minnesota instead of Washington or Green Bay. If we assume the Bucs win the NFC South (likely), it could be preferable for them to be the No. 4 seed to ensure either Tampa or one of Detroit/Minnesota is eliminated in the 4 vs. 5 matchup. So, might be best to see the Rams stay at No. 3. Root for the Rams.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS at DETROIT LIONS: The Lions are banged up but they’re still the biggest threat to the Eagles making the Super Bowl. Could be good for them to lose control of the No. 1 seed. Root for the Vikings.

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:

NEW YORK GIANTS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: The Giants could pick as low as No. 9 if they beat the Eagles. That would such a disaster for them after previously being on track for the No. 1 overall pick. Let’s hope it happens! Root for the Giants.

CLEVELAND BROWNS at BALTIMORE RAVENS: The Browns losing helps them stay ahead of the Giants. Root for the Ravens.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: The Jags losing gives them a chance to move ahead of the Giants. Root for the Colts.

BUFFALO BILLS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: With a loss, the Patriots clinch the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Pats having the top pick isn’t the most fun reality … but it beats the Giants getting it. Root for the Bills.

HOUSTON TEXANS at TENNESSEE TITANS: The Titans losing helps them stay ahead of the Giants. Root for the Texans.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS at ARIZONA CARDINALS: The 49ers losing keeps them ahead of the Cowboys. Root for the Cardinals.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: The Raiders losing gives them a chance to move ahead of the Giants. Root for the Chargers.

MIAMI DOLPHINS at NEW YORK JETS: The Jets losing gives them a chance to move ahead of the Giants. Root for the Dolphins.

WHAT’S LEFT

CINCINNATI BENGALS at PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Only two quarterbacks have ever eliminated Patrick Mahomes from the playoffs: Tom Brady and Joe Burrow. If you’re of the mind that you want to see KC get knocked out, maybe the Bengals have a chance to do so? Assuming they get help and make it in. Root for the Bengals.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at DENVER BRONCOS: If you want to see the Bengals make the postseason, you want to see the Broncos lose to Carson Wentz. Root for the Chiefs.