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.
Comment removed.
Who woulda thunk it? Go Iggs!- WE BETTER WIN IN DALLAS.....— johnnyem
- OMG! I would be ecstatic over this, but for two things: 1)Missing our Center , and 2)My feeling that the 'boys will hand us the most significant loss of the season, due to our MUCH too porous defense. ..P L E A S E prove me dead wrong!!!— TBear
- Its all there for us now. The 2nd seed is huge. We need our best game of the year this week.. No turnovers on offense and make some big plays on defense. If we are meant to get to the Super Bowl a win this week is a must.— bradco
- Comment removed.
- So we get Westbrook back but you're worried about Cole replacing Jackson at Center? So last year we thumped the Cowgirls with the playoffs on the line for both teams in the last game of the season and you're expecting the Cowgirls to come up big this time around and beat us? As for our defense, did you watch the game? Denver passed for 171 yards and rushed for 70 yards. That's a "porous" defense? For Denver's two second half TDs, they got the ball at our 16 yard line and our 25 yard line to start those drives thanks to the Harris fumbled kick return and then the horrible Rocca punt from our endzone. The points in the second half were about field position, not poor defensive play. Geez, could we have more jittery, neurotic fans in our fanbase? Sack up and get behind your team for a change.— JimG
- himills... stupidest comment in the history of commenting and you have no business being an EAGLES fan if you ever suggest tanking to Dallas, ever. Grandma McNabb owns Cowboys and will prove you wrong after he throws up in the super bowl up 24 points only to throw another two td's to finish off the Chargers— aman1711
- can we please stop using the stupid phrase "control their own (fate) destiny." win or lose, every team controls their own destiny by how they play. put down the cliche book for just once.— snakeplissken
For the record we could get the 3 seed by tying Dallas, if Minnesota wins.— ICDogg- the media crowned the Vikings and Saints at midseason.. mcnabb knew better..— mongoS
- Yeah, himills, I don't know what you're thinking, bro. Rather than use this week to rest starters, why not try for an actual bye week to rest starters when it's there for the taking? And why would you ever want to pass up the chance to play at home? Obviously, Reid knows how likely it is for them to face Dallas in back-to-back weeks, so to expect him not to game plan accordingly is silly. The Cowboys are no more fearsome than any other possible opponent right now. Plus, as an Eagles fan, you should be rooting against Dallas even if they played Al Qaeda.— Coniglio101
- Comment removed.
- himills, the entire point is if we beat the Cowboys, we don't play them next week, we get a bye. I'm not even reading beyond your first sentence because nothing after that matters....WAKE UP!— AdamEI
Play all out this week and the Birds get a week off then play at home; lose this week and play the cowgirls again in Dallas the next week more likely than not. No way do the Birds try to tank this one... Imagine the Psychological blow the Birds can land on Dallas-besides, did anybody else notice how crappy Dallas looked against a terrible Redskins team?— kjuggs77
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