Philadelphia Eagles making a playoff run?
Heading into Week 16, the Philadelphia Eagles currently have just four wins. In a normal year, the team would have “embraced the tank” a few weeks ago, committing to the fact that landing a high draft pick is what’s best for the franchise moving forward. However, it’s 2020, and the NFC East this year is arguably the worst division in the history of football. Despite the Eagles’ lowly 4-9-1 record, the team could genuinely still crack the postseason as division winners.
Here’s what needs to happen in Week 16 for that possibility to become a reality:
Philly has to beat Dallas.
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First and foremost, the Eagles have to take care of business in Dallas this weekend. Before even worrying about what happens around the NFC East, Philadelphia has to knock off the Cowboys for the second time this season, completing the yearly sweep.
Both teams will be deploying different quarterbacks for their second matchup, as the Eagles are now led by rookie QB Jalen Hurts, and the Cowboys’ main backup (Andy Dalton) is back in action after missing the two sides’ previous matchup due to a concussion.
Dalton hasn’t been anything special here in 2020, but he’s been a pretty serviceable backup all things considered. He’s 3-4 as a starter, and he’s coming off back-to-back wins against Cincinnati and San Francisco. He’s undoubtedly a bigger challenge than Ben DiNucci, which could alter how the Eagles’ defense performs comes game time.
If Hurts and the Eagles can’t stave off a surging Dallas squad, they will officially be eliminated from playoff contention – effectively ending their 2020 season.
Washington has to lose.
I honestly feel pretty good about Philadelphia completing the sweep against Dallas, but I feel less good about the Panthers showing up to play against the Washington Football Team.
While Washington continues to look less than appealing on the offensive side of the ball, their defense has undoubtedly improved under Ron Rivera. Their pass rush is a legitimate threat, and Teddy Bridgewater has only looked so good for Carolina this year.
It’s unclear who Washington’s quarterback will be at the moment, as Alex Smith is suffering from a calf injury and Dwayne Haskins was just caught breaking COVID-19 protocols. If neither players can suit up, it’s hard to imagine Washington pulling out the W. However, I’ve seen multiple reports stating that Smith is on track to play at the moment.
Christian McCaffrey potentially playing this Sunday is another thing to keep an eye on, as his presence would obviously tip things in Carolina’s favor.
New York doesn’t matter…yet.
The Giants technically don’t have to lose this weekend, but it would definitely help if they did.
The Giants have to lose one of their next two games, and they play Baltimore here in Week 16. The Ravens simply taking care of business (like they should) makes life easier for the Eagles.
If by some miracle the Philadelphia Eagles win, the Washington Football Team lose, and the New York Giants lose, then it sets things up for a Week 17 showdown between the Eagles and the Football Team for the NFC East crown.