The first Sunday of the 2025 NFL regular season is here!
With the Birds resting after beating the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, let’s run through a Philadelphia Eagles-focused rooting guide for all of the remaining Week 1 games.
NFC EAST
NEW YORK GIANTS at WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: I believe the Commanders are going to take a significant step back this year but they still have a better outlook than the Giants do. Washington is currently the bigger threat to the Eagles repeating as division champions. Root
for the Giants.
DRAFT PICK WATCH
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at NEW YORK JETS: Thanks to last year’s Haason Reddick trade, the Eagles own the Jets’ third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The more the Jets lose, the more favorable the pick will be for the Birds. Root for the Steelers.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Thanks to the Bryce Huff trade, the Eagles own the 49ers’ fifth-round pick (though it could elevate to a fourth-round pick with currently unknown conditions) in the 2026 NFL Draft. The more the 49ers lose, the more favorable the pick will be for the Birds. Also, San Fran is the bigger threat in the NFC playoff picture … especially since their schedule is ridiculously easy. Root for the Seahawks.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS at ATLANTA FALCONS: Thanks to a pick swap trade during the 2025 NFL Draft, the Eagles own the Falcons’ fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The more the Falcons lose, the more favorable the pick will be for the Birds. Although there’s a case to be made it’s better for the Bucs to lose because they seem to have the Eagles’ number. But there’s plenty of season left to root against Tampa in other weeks. Root for the Buccaneers.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS at CHICAGO BEARS: Thanks to the Sam Howell trade, the Eagles own the Vikings’ sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The more the Vikings lose, the more favorable the pick will be for the Birds. Also, Chicago seems like the most preferable team to win the NFC North for the Eagles’ sake. Root for the Bears.
MIAMI DOLPHINS at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: The Eagles want a non-Jets team to win the AFC East. Root for the Colts.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: The Eagles want a non-Jets team win the AFC East. Feels dirty but … Root for the Patriots.
CAROLINA PANTHERS at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: The Eagles want a non-Falcons team to win the NFC South. And preferably not the Bucs, either. Root for the Panthers.
ARIZONA CARDINALS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: The Eagles want a non-Falcons team to win the NFC South. And preferably not the Bucs, either. Also, the Cards are clearly the bigger threat in the conference between these two teams. Root for the Saints.
NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
DETROIT LIONS at GREEN BAY PACKERS: Which team do you think is the bigger threat to the Eagles winning the No. 1 seed in the NFC? I’d argue it’s the Packers but it’s very close. I’ll say the deciding factor for this activity is that the Eagles play the Lions (and not the Packers) in the regular season. Thus, Philly can earn a head-to-head tiebreaker over Detroit. Getting an edge over Green Bay could be more difficult. Root for the Lions.
HOUSTON TEXANS at LOS ANGELES RAMS: AFC team over the NFC team, obviously. Especially when the Rams might contend for a top spot in the NFC. Root for the Texans.
WHAT’S LEFT
TENNESSEE TITANS at DENVER BRONCOS: The Eagles play the Broncos in Week 5. If the Eagles end up beating them, they’ll benefit from all of Denver’s other wins when it comes to the strength of victory tiebreaker. Root for the Broncos.
BALTIMORE RAVENS at BUFFALO BILLS: The Eagles play the Bills in Week 17. If the Eagles end up beating them, they’ll benefit from all of Buffalo’s other wins when it comes to the strength of victory tiebreaker. Also, the Birds want a non-Jets team to win the AFC East. Root for the Bills.
CINCINNATI BENGALS at CLEVELAND BROWNS: No Eagles impact.
