The Philadelphia Eagles are in a frustrating position after a three-game losing streak has pushed them firmly out of contention for the NFC's top seed and has left a dedicated fan base panicked. While the frustration is understandable after Monday night's debacle, it simply isn't time to panic just yet, considering the control that the Eagles still have ahead. The NFC East has become a truly underwhelming division with the New York Giants on a seven-game losing streak rivaled by the Washington Commanders, who have dropped eight in a row.
Add in the Dallas Cowboys, who sit at 6-6-1 after losing to the Detroit Lions, and the Eagles very much remain in control in the final weeks of the season. While there is a tough game against the Buffalo Bills remaining, the rest of Philly's schedule is made up of the hapless Las Vegas Raiders and the free-falling Commanders. It is impossible to believe that these are three sure wins that put Philly at 11 wins on the season.
For the Cowboys, the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants remain. As Philly just found out, the Chargers are an incredibly tough matchup and likely to pull off the win in Dallas. However, even if the Cowboys win out the tie early in the season ensures that the franchise can have no more than 10 wins on the season.
Eagles Still Have Time to Regain Control Despite Frustrating Three-Game Skid
With this in mind, all the Eagles need to do to win the NFC East and clinch a first-round playoff game in Philadelphia is beat the Raiders and go 2-1 against the Bills and a Commanders team they will play twice in the season's final four weeks. That is all that is standing between the Eagles and putting the season back on track.
As bleak as things currently might feel, it is hard to believe that Vic Fangio's defense won't be up for the challenge even if the offensive struggles remain. What the soft finish to the Eagles' schedule has borrowed is time. Now, the Eagles can throw everything at the wall offensively and attempt to catch fire ahead of attempting to defend last year's Super Bowl run.
All of this makes it clear that, as frustrating and dark as things might look, the ineptitude of the NFC East and a soft final few weeks on the schedule have left the Eagles in solid playoff positioning. While this won't fix the obvious ongoing issues when the team gets there, it does paint an optimistic picture.
One that understands the Eagles still have a little less than a month to smooth out the offensive struggles and find the team that made a run in last year's postseason. A franchise that was able to win in so many ways and hurt you with explosive plays on the ground and through the air. While it is difficult to square that with what fans are watching now, the point remains that Philadelphia remains in a prime position to win the East with the time and resources to find the offensive fix and put a season that is in a tailspin back on track.