Eagles root guide for Week 17 games

The seventeenth weekend of the 2024 NFL regular season is here! Let’s go through a Philadelphia Eagles-focused rooting guide for all Week 17 games.

THE FIRST-BYE-PIPE DREAM

First, let’s acknowledge that the Eagles don’t do this probably to get the No. 1 seed. And some will argue that it would be best if the Eagles stopped the unrealistic pursuit of the No. 1 pick so they can settle on the No. 2 pick and treat Week 18 like a bye as much as possible rather than going all in on that Win the game and then not reach first place anyway. But yes, I say there is a chance. According to DVOA playoff odds, the number is 7.4%.

DALLAS COWBOYS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Here’s the Eagles’ path to a first-round bye: 1) The Eagles win (vs. DAL, v. NYG)… 2) The Lions lose (vs. SF, v. MIN)… 3) The Vikings lose this one weekend (against GB) before they win in week 18 (at DET). In this scenario, the Eagles would be 14-3, the Vikings would be 14-3 and the Lions would be 13-4. The Eagles would win the joint games tiebreaker against Minny. Even if you don’t believe in the No. 1 seed dream, you’ll at least be happy about an Eagles win over the Cowboys, which is no worse than the No. 2 seed and the NFC East division crown. Go birds.

GREEN BAY PACKERS at MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Two reasons for the Eagles to support the Packers. 1) The Vikings’ loss keeps the Eagles’ No. 1 seed dream alive. 2) The Packers’ win moves them closer to the No. 6 seed, preventing the Eagles from having to face Green Bay in the wild-card round. With a Packers win and a loss to Washington this weekend, GB secures sixth place. Thumbs up for the Packers.

DETROIT LIONS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Eagles fans don’t normally enjoy supporting the 49ers, but San Francisco is already out of playoff contention. A win will only worsen their draft position and potentially help the Eagles reach the No. 1 pick. Thumbs up for the 49ers.

NFC PLAYOFF IMAGE

Here’s a look at the current NFC playoff picture via ESPN:

ARIZONA CARDINALS at LOS ANGELES RAMS: The Rams are much more threatening than the Seattle Seahawks. It’s best not to watch LA win the NFC West. Root for the Cardinals.

CAROLINA PANTHERS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: The Bucs are much more threatening than Atlanta. It would be best not to see Tampa win the NFC South or finish at No. 7. With a Bucs loss here and an Atlanta win over Washington, Tampa will be eliminated from playoff contention. Thumbs up for the Panthers.

ATLANTA FALCONS at WASHINGTON COMMANDER: In the event that the Kenny Pickett-led Eagles are unable to beat the Cowboys, the Eagles can still clinch the No. 2 seed and the NFC East with a Commanders loss to Atlanta. The Falcons’ win is also valuable because 1) it prevents the Bucs from winning the NFC South, 2) it prevents the Packers from falling to No. 7, and 3) it raises the possibility that the Commanders are eliminated altogether disappear in the playoffs. which would be funny. Root for the Falcons.

POSITIONING DESIGN

The Eagles want the Giants to pick up a few meaningless wins to ruin their draft positioning. They also want other teams to stay or advance ahead of their NFC East rivals in the 2025 NFL Draft order. Speaking of which, here are the current outlook for scheduled non-playoff teams via Tankathon:

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at NEW YORK GIANTS: If you ask me, it would be pretty funny that the Giants have such a miserable season and still don’t get the No. 1 overall pick. With a win they could potentially move out of the top 5! Thumbs up for the Giants.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: The Patriots’ loss gives them a chance to get past the Giants. Thumbs up for the Chargers.

NEW YORK JETS at Buffalo Bills: If the Jets lose and the Giants win (the Eagles may rest the starters in Week 18), NYJ could end up ahead of NYG in the draft order. Thumbs up for the bills.

TENNESSEE TITANS at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: The question here is: Which team is more likely to win in Week 18? This is the team you want to root for in this game so that the losing side comes out on top and has a chance to finish ahead of the Giants in the draft order. With Houston already a No. 4 seed and potentially resting their starters in Week 18 against the Titans, one has to hope the Jags lose here in Week 18 and then again against Indy. Root for the Titans.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: The Raiders’ loss gives them a chance to get past the Giants. Root for the saints.

MIAMI DOLPHINS at CLEVELAND BROWNS: The Browns’ loss gives them a chance to get past the Giants. Root for the dolphins.

WHAT’S LEFT

DENVER BRONCOS at CINCINNATI BENGALS: Only two quarterbacks have ever eliminated Patrick Mahomes from the playoffs: Tom Brady and Joe Burrow. If you think the Kansas City Chiefs want to get eliminated, maybe the Bengals have a chance? I have to get there first.