It was a quiet weekend for the Philadelphia Eagles, who already played in Week 13, losing to the Chicago Bears in what can only be described as a Black Friday disaster. While that was not the best result for the team's dreams for a top seed in the NFC playoffs, the Birds did get a much-needed assist on Sunday.
In a 1 p.m. ET shocker, the Carolina Panthers outdueled the Los Angeles Rams 31-28 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. As NBC Sports Philly's John Clark explained, that's a massive win for the Eagles' chances to at least nab the NFC's No. 2 seed from a tiebreaker perspective.
"The Eagles get helped out by the Carolina Panthers. The Rams were 10-point favorites, and they (lost) at Carolina," Clark wrote. "The Eagles are one game behind the Rams and the Bears for the top seed in the NFC. The Eagles hold the tiebreaker over the Rams but not the Bears, of course."
Eagles' Destiny Is in Their Own Hands After Week 13
With five left to play, the Eagles only play two teams with winning records: the Los Angeles Chargers and the Buffalo Bills. Two of their other matchups come against the Washington Commanders, who have not had a healthy Jayden Daniels practically all season, and the other comes against the hapless Las Vegas Raiders, who just made Shedeur Sanders look like an NFL QB1.
As for the Rams, they'll have two matchups against the three-win Arizona Cardinals and will face the Atlanta Falcons, while also facing the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. L.A.'s schedule parallels Philly's to a degree.
Luckily for both, the Bears have the toughest stretch remaining. They'll play the Green Bay Packers twice, then face the Lions and San Francisco 49ers; their only reprieve coming against the Cleveland Browns. In fact, Chicago owns the fifth-hardest remaining schedule, per Tankathon, while Philadelphia and Los Angeles sit at 30th and 26th, respectively.
The Eagles don't have to stress about any other franchise. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, head coach Nick Sirianni, and Co. just need to lock in and figure out why quarterback Jalen Hurts can't throw the ball downfield as effectively as he used to.
While they're at it, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can figure out how to stop opposing running backs from going off on them every week and learn to make stops in the red zone like the team used to.
It's unclear if there's a nasty championship hangover hamstringing the Eagles in 2025, but the same talent is no longer motivated the same way they used to be. Despite being four games above .500 through November, this Philly team looks disjointed and, at this rate, unlikely to sustain another deep run in the playoffs, given how mistake-prone and careless they've been.
Regardless of how the season ends, good or bad, the ball is in the Eagles' court after Sunday.