It may seem like a lifetime has passed since the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX, but it’s only been about 325 days. The Birds are still the reigning champions, and even though their recent form has been a tad uninspiring, there’s still a path towards the no. 2 seed for Nick Sirriani and co.
Advertisement
That’s right, even though the Eagles are 3-3 through their last six outings, their 8-2 start to the season is helping to keep them in the mix for a high playoff seeding. They’ll need a little bit of help, of course, but given the current state of things, fans shouldn’t be shocked to see the birds return towards the top of the standings just as things begin to matter most.
Thanks to a one-point victory over the Buffalo Bills and a Chicago Bears loss in Week 17, the Eagles’ scenario for the no. 2 seed is halfway complete. They still need to win against the Washington Commanders in Week 18, which shouldn’t be difficult seeing as the Commanders are one of the most depleted teams in all of football right now, and they’ll also be looking for Chicago to lose one last time as well.
Chicago is set to take on their divisional rival, the Detroit Lions, this Sunday afternoon, and many are speculating that they will sit their starters for the match up. However, the team’s head coach, Ben Johnson, has stated that “We’re playing to win this week,” so it doesn’t appear as if they’ll be in the business of helping out Philadelphia.
Even still, oddsmakers are only listing Detroit as a +2.5 point underdog for their final match up of the season, suggesting that there’s plenty of room for a Lions victory. Throw in the facts that the Lions are 17-8 on the road since 2023 and haven’t lost at Soldier Field since December of 2023, and there’s certainly enough here to warrant some confidence for Philly.
We also know that there isn’t a single ounce of quit in Dan Campbell, so you can expect Detroit to fight for the Eagles’ money. All in all, this one is going to come down to whether or not Johnson’s statement was a tongue-in-cheek one, so if you’re looking to place a wager for Sunday afternoon, you may want to wait until there’s a little more clarity about the Bears’ intentions.
With all due respect to the Commanders, the majority of televisions throughout the city of Philadelphia will likely be tuned to the Lions’ broadcast, as the idea of hosting another playoff game is much more exciting than whatever Josh Johnson or Marcus Mariota might bring to the table. It may be a bit ironic to see birds cheering for a wild cat, but this is the kind of chaos that comes with the NFL playoff picture, and we are most certainly here for it.
