The NFL playoffs are here! Let’s run through a Philadelphia Eagles-focused rooting guide for all of the Wild Card games.
Obviously, the Eagles need to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon for their interests in the Divisional Round to be relevant.
POTENTIALLY DETERMINING THE EAGLES’ SECOND PLAYOFF OPPONENT
SATURDAY
LOS ANGELES RAMS at CAROLINA PANTHERS: There’s a case to be made for both sides here in the respect that a Rams win could be good for the Eagles if LA plays the Seattle Seahawks in the next round and knocks them off of home field advantage. The Rams probably
have a much better chance to upset Seattle than the Panthers or Green Bay Packers. That being said, the Rams also arguably have the best chance of knocking the Eagles out of the playoffs. So, it could be good to see them gone in the first round. Probably won’t happen considering that the Panthers are 10.5-point home underdogs. But you can still root for the upset anyway. Root for the Panthers.
GREEN BAY PACKERS at CHICAGO BEARS: If the No. 7 seed Packers win, they’ll automatically be playing the No. 1 Seahawks in the next round. With a win over the No. 6 seed 49ers, the No. 3 seed Eagles will then be hosting the winner of the No. 4 Panthers vs. No. 5 Rams game, which ideally will be Carolina. Not so ideal if it’s the Rams instead. In the event that the Rams beat the Panthers, there’s a case to be made that the Eagles should want the Bears to win. Unless you’d rather the Birds host the Rams rather than traveling to play in Chicago. But we’re going to focus on optimal outcome here and account for a Panthers win. Root for the Packers.
POTENTIALLY DETERMINING THE EAGLES’ SUPER BOWL LX OPPONENT
SUNDAY
BUFFALO BILLS at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: The Jags have been pretty frisky this season but, c’mon, you’d rather see the Eagles take on Trevor Lawrence in the Super Bowl instead of Josh Allen. Root for the Jaguars.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Drake Maye might win MVP. He’s looked pretty good. The Pats have benefited from a very easy schedule but they’re still more imposing than the Bolts. Root for the Chargers.
MONDAY
HOUSTON TEXANS at PITTSBURGH STEELERS: The Texans are 12-2 since their 0-3 start and those one-score losses have come to both No. 1 seeds, the Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The Steelers, who made the playoffs on a missed field goal, are clearly the inferior team. Root for the Steelers.
