Eagles in position for No. 2 seed after Vikes' loss
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Eagles in position for No. 2 seed after Vikes' loss
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
In what can only be described as one of the most wildly entertaining games of the season, the Bears handed the Vikings a 36-30 overtime loss Monday night at Soldier Field.
What does this mean for the Eagles?
With a win over the Cowboys next weekend, the Birds will be the No. 2 seed in the NFC, meaning a first-round bye and a game at the Linc in the divisional round. The Eagles now control their own fate.
After starting the season 10-1, the Vikings (11-4) have lost three of their last four. If the Eagles and Vikings win next weekend, both teams would finish 12-4, and the Birds own the tiebreaker. If the Eagles win and the Vikings lose, well, obviously the Birds would have the edge for the No. 2 seed.
The Vikings' loss also means that the Saints have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
As if Sunday's matchup in Dallas weren't already big enough, the stakes just got a little bit higher. As you'll see at the bottom, the Cowboys still have a shot at the No. 2 seed too.
There are now three different scenarios (barring ties) for the Eagles on wild-card weekend:
* The Eagles could have a bye as the No. 2 seed.
* The Eagles could travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
* The Eagles could travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
Here's an updated look:
How can the Eagles get the No. 2 seed?
A win in Dallas against the Cowboys. That's it.
How can the Eagles drop to the No. 5 seed and play the Cowboys?
If the Vikings beat the Giants AND the Cowboys beat the Eagles AND the Cardinals beat the Packers, the Birds would travel to Dallas in the first round as the No. 5 seed.
How can the Eagles drop to the No. 6 seed and play the Cowboys?
If the Vikings beat the Giants AND the Cowboys beat the Eagles AND the Packers beat the Cardinals, Dallas is the No. 3 seed and hosts the Birds in the wild-card round.
How can the Eagles drop to the No. 5 seed and play the Vikings?
If the Vikings lose to the Giants AND the Cowboys beat the Eagles AND the Cardinals beat the Packers, Arizona earns the No. 2 seed, and the Birds travel to Minnesota in the wild-card round.
How can the Eagles drop to the No. 6 seed and play the Vikings?
If the Vikings lose to the Giants AND the Cowboys beat the Eagles AND the Packers beat the Cardinals, Dallas earns the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. The Eagles would then travel to Minnesota in the wild-card round.
i love reading these posts to see how stupid the majority of people are in the world. Rest the players? Let them blow us out to make them get over confident? Have you guys ever played sports in your lives??????? Second where are all the nitwits who earlier posted the birds would be 8-8 or the geniuses at the beginning of the year who had the birds at 5-11, 6-10 or 7-9 THE CATALDI CRONIES seemed to have vanished— tremo12- Hey millsy, stop assuming we can't beat the Cowboys in two straight games. Furthermore, winning a road playoff game is a tough thing to do in the NFL, so if we win next weekend, then Dallas has to go on the road in the WC round and chances are they don't win. Then you won't have to worry about a letdown or being too cocky for a rematch. Having a bye and playing at home is such an advantage, so get these "tanking" ideas out of your head.— toccheyhockey
BTW, imagine the impact on the Vikings of not giving them a week off and making Favre play on the road after the wildcard. If it finishes NO, PHI, MIN, ARZ, GB, DAL (in that order if the Eagles, Vikes, and Cards all win), then the Eagles will most likely play Minnesota after Vikes beat Dallas, then go on to play the Saints in the NFC Championship, unless Arizona pulls off the upset (assuming they beat GB in Phoenix). The Cardinals are streaky, but they are the most dangerous team not named 'Eagles' and Kurt Warner has more Super Bowl Quarterbacking experience than Favre, Romo, Rodgers, and Brees combined. Nuff Said...— kjuggs77- time to vomit mcnabb— BHite15
- Beat Dallas this week and Birds are two wins away from the super bowl, with at least one of them a home game. And someone is suggesting not playing for that? Huh?— djack10
- Understand both points, but the bye week is what you play for...— phigglesfan75
If the Eagles win this Sunday and get that coveted bye, the most important thing is the way NO & Min have been playing. They've been stinking up the place. Win one playoff game (at home mind you) and the Eagles could very well be hosting the NFC chanpionship game. Only one team has a better record and I doubt they can handle the Cardinals (did I just say that?). Win this one, sit back & buckle up. I have a feeling this is going to get interesting.— fuss77- Cowboys game is the first playoff! There are only few regular season game that ever have this much significance. A win could lead to playing all playoff games at home. Saints are ripe for one and out.— Seed
- Romo is an overrated sissy and the Cowgirls are gonna pay. Plan against Witten and the game is over on offense. Williams and Austin are media hypes. That gay caballero Romo will get sacked and cry on the field like last year.— CommonSense4Philly
- You play to win this week, period. Do that and you get a legitimate bye. This is the route to the SB.
If we're losing and the scenarios have already played out where we know we're playing the cowboys again in the wildcard - someone needs to take out Romo. just saying— burholme- the idea of tanking for a some sort of psychological or statistical advantage is just idiotic. please stop. if we beat the cowboys 40 straight times, any eagle fan worth a bird turd would be looking for win 41.— birdfannnj
- Watch the penalties, Eagles and a week off is yours.— PhillyFan_in_NoVA
- Settle down Eagles faithful, all is well in the world, the Vikings collapsed to a bears team. The Eagles can take the #2 seed and ultimately end up going to the big show.— greekeagle
- We play our game and we beat the Cows...— garyshaffer
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