Philadelphia Eagles: Playoffs well within reach

It’s not often that a 4-6 football team with this many warts has more than the proverbial “snowball’s chance” of an NFL postseason berth, but circumstances have conspired to make the Philadelphia Eagles a fairly decent bet to actually make the playoffs this year. Yes, this year, during a 2021 season that we (myself included) all assumed would be a rocky one and which has seemed hopeless at multiple junctures over the last few months.

To be clear, nobody is saying that the Eagles are a legitimate contender. And everyone who’s spent any time watching them this season could point to numerous flaws that could end up being their undoing. But that’s the thing…which teams in the NFC are above reproach? This thing is wide open. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys are easily going to win that NFC East; I’ll give you that. And so the Eagles’ only path to the playoffs is via one of the three (don’t forget about that extra one, it’s a biggie) wild card slots.

The teams which comprise the NFC’s mushy middle are far from a murderer’s row. Crucially, the Eagles have already scored wins over both the 5-5 Carolina Panthers and 4-5 Atlanta Falcons, giving the Birds a potential advantage over both those clubs in the event of tiebreaker scenarios.

And so this weekend’s match with the 5-4 New Orleans Saints looms incredibly large, not only as a stepping stone toward .500 for the Eagles, but just as importantly to deal a loss to a team with whom they’re directly competing for a playoff spot.

Stranger things have happened than the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles making the NFL playoffs.

If the Eagles falter on Sunday to drop to 4-7, then one might be forgiven for giving up on any postseason aspirations. But a long-awaited home victory, though it would only move the team to 5-6, would be absolutely huge thanks to the Eagles’ remaining schedule. Said schedule is, to put it mildly, soft. Like, sandy soil after a downpour soft. And not only that, but the Eagles have a big travel advantage for the rest of the year; namely, that they don’t have to travel at all.

Their flight back from Denver was the last time they’ll need to be on a plane all season, as their seven remaining contests are made up of four games at home, one in Washington DC, and two trips up the Jersey Turnpike to the Meadowlands. The Eagles have made it through what was definitively the hardest part of their schedule, and they’re still standing.

With two games each against the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team, the Eagles are in prime position to bank divisional wins against a pair of foes who are meandering through underwhelming seasons. People probably had the Eagles marked down as splitting with both clubs, but three or even four wins are definitely in play. As for the Jets game, let’s remember that the Eagles have never lost to them, so you know that trend will last forever.

The final game of the season, home against Dallas, could be dicey. But perhaps the Cowboys will be in a position to rest players, although it’s far too early to prognosticate that one. Either way, a “win at home and you’re in” scenario in Week 18 isn’t too shabby.

I’m not saying that things will be easy for the Birds over the season’s final two months. Remember when we were told how the Phillies had the easiest remaining schedule in baseball this past season? Look how that turned out. But coach Nick Sirianni, after taking an absolute beating in the media here in his first season, seems to be figuring things out and getting a better feel for his team every week.

Some people probably don’t want to hear it, but Sirianni looks like he is deserving of our patience as he tries to build something special in Philadelphia. Sorry to the “I could do a better job coaching the team” crowd. Being critical is fine, but it’s seemingly reached new levels of absurdity this season. Now Sirianni is already one win away from equaling Andy Reid’s win total as a rookie head coach. And he doesn’t have the built-in advantages of several excellent assistants, a slam-dunk franchise QB, and a tenacious young defense that Big Red had back in 1999. My, how people forget. The point is, expectations should have been managed before this season. And in the event that the Eagles make a shocking trip to the playoffs, those who called for Sirianni’s head before we even got to Halloween should line up to apologize.

There is still plenty of time for this Philadelphia Eagles season to either hit new heights or to sink back down to an unacceptable level. In the meantime, can we all at least try to enjoy the last seven (or more) Eagles games that we’ll get until next season? We might just end up liking what we see.