Getty Philadelphia Eagles QB Nick Foles
The Philadelphia Eagles have work to do and need a helping hand in order to make the 2018 NFL playoffs, but as the Sunday afternoon slate begins, they’re still alive. The NFC playoff picture has a bit more that needs to be decided before the final schedule is set, but at least we have an idea in most spots. One position still up in the air, though, is the one Philly is battling for.
Entering Week 17, the Eagles sit on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, behind both the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings for a wild card spot. While the Seahawks are a lock to make it, the No. 6 seed between the Vikings and Eagles is the key talking point, and that’ll be sorted out soon enough.
Let’s take a look at the NFC standings and the Eagles’ playoff outlook.
NFC Playoff Standings & Scenarios to Watch
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. New Orleans Saints | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| 2. L.A. Rams | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 3. Chicago Bears | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 4. Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| 5. Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 6. Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| 7. Philadelphia Eagles | 8 | 7 | 0 |
The top-four teams in the NFC are all set, with the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears still battling for the No. 2 seed. As long as the Rams win in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, the first-round bye will go to them. On the opposite side, if they lose and the Bears win, then Chicago gets the bye.
The final two spots on the above standings are what Eagles fans are looking at, and they’re holding out hope that the Bears can pull off a win on Sunday. Chicago faces the Vikings and could help Philadelphia in a big way.
Eagles’ Week 17 Playoff Scenario & Chances
The Eagles’ playoff path is about as simple as they come. In order for Philadelphia to make it to the dance, they need to defeat the Washington Redskins and have the Bears knock off the Vikings. There’s no other way for Philly to make it to the postseason, but that was decided even before the week began.
With the rival Dallas Cowboys locking up the NFC East with a Week 16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles’ path to the postseason became far more clear. Their hopes remained alive after picking up back-to-back crucial wins the last two weeks against playoff-bound teams in the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans.
For Eagles fans, all that remains to be done is to scoreboard watch the Bears vs. Vikings game and hope to get a victory over the Redskins.
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