Predicting the Eagles' Most Likely First-Round Playoff Matchups

The Philadelphia Eagles' loss to the Commanders in Week 16 made it more difficult for the Birds to secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Sitting at 12-3 with two games left in the regular season, the Eagles need some help to secure the top NFC seed.

The loss also made it more clear who the Eagles will face in the first round of the playoffs. While the Commanders are the most likely opponent in the first round, let's take a look at all of the possibilities.

Washington Commanders

The Eagles finishing second in the NFC and facing the seventh-seeded Commanders is the most probable outcome. Obviously, there is a chance things could change, but the Eagles need to beat either the Cowboys or the Giants in the last two weeks to clinch the NFC East title.

The Commanders are a game behind the Packers but have the tiebreaker. If they win both of their remaining games, they could earn the sixth-seed and avoid playing the Eagles in the first round.

If this is indeed the first-round matchup, the Eagles should feel pretty good about their chances. Philly won the first game 26-18 and lost the second one in Week 16 after Jalen Hurts left the game. Philadelphia's advantages on both ends of the field remain, and barring injuries, they should be heavily favored.

Green Bay Packers

If the Commanders win both of their games and the Packers lose one, Green Bay could fall to seventh and face the Eagles. This would be a far less preferable matchup for Philadelphia.

The Packers are one of the deepest and most talented teams in the league. Other than losing to their division rivals Lions and the Vikings, they are 11-1 against the rest of the league. Fortunately for the Eagles, that loss was against them in the first week of the season.

Philadelphia has won three out of the last four games against the Packers and should have home-field advantage. They will be favored in this game but it will be a close game.

Detroit Lions

If the Eagles beat both Dallas and New York, the Lions lose out, and the Vikings don't win out, they can still take the No. 1 seed. Even though this would mean that the Eagles would get the first-round bye, it also sets them up against arguably the best team in the league in their first playoff game.

In this scenario, the Lions end up as the fifth seed. They would still be favored against their first-round opponent and face the Eagles afterward.

This would obviously be the most difficult matchup for the Eagles but Philadelphia has Super Bowl aspirations and they will have to beat the Lions at some point. Having home-field advantage when trying to do so could be the difference between these two elite teams.

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