Eagles in position for No. 2 seed after Vikes' loss
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.
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.
Comments (108)
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- 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
- its only tuesday?!?!!? i cant wait for sunday!— GetMeToThePlateBoys
- Q: Why put the Arz/GB game in your playoff scenerio? Isn't it just confusing the issue? If the Guls loose (which I don't see happening), our opponent is determined by the Min/NYG game only. If Min Wins we play @ Dallas, if Min loses we play @ Min. Or am I missing something.— RickMac09
- This would all be a non-issue if we would have beaten the Raiders, or better yet, the Cowboys when they were here earlier. Win the games you should and everyone is resting this week. Time's yours.— ChahlieM
- yeah himills is an imbecile. Why in gods name would you want to play an extra playoff game where you can be eliminated if you lose. This isnt a round robin son, it is single elimination. Not to mention you get a home playoff game as oppose to going on the road. They should ban you from making any more nonsensical, asinine comments.— jayw66
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- C'mon Birdz - make this easy - just win baby!!— jhjack
- I can't believe I am saying this but himills you are a bigger idiot than philly10/grandpa. If you purposely tank the game than how the eff would it be a disappointing crushing defeat! Nothing else you have said makes the slightest bit of sense either.— Viewkeeper
- This is a huge opportunity! The Bears gave the Eagles a late Christmas present. Lets hope the Eagles seize the moment this Sunday. If they do, the Eagles have a great chance of going to the Super Bowl. Otherwise, no chance of going to Miami.— arrowamy
- Nothing is a lock. Eagles are on the road this year, dallas already beat the Eagles at home and third, they just lost their center. I want them to win as much as anyone else here, just be realistic.— P Even
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Yeah kjuggs but all the so called experts call the win over the redskins a continued roll for the cowgirls!! They are calling them a hot team because of that win!! let them keep thinking that struggling out a win against the redskins is considered being on a roll and we can walk in there and whip their arses!! Himills you should see some counseling if you really believe what you are writing. Read what you write before you hit submit!!— Iowaeagle
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
No way anyone rests in this one, this is BIG! I am looking forward to this one as I got tickets for Christmas. The last time I went to a game in Dallas was the Westbrook kneel down game...I would take the same result gladly.- himills... i don't know how you did it.. but i honestly believe you just became the least credible and most hated poster on this forum.. you surpass grandpa in fell swoop.. and here i thought he had a lock on that title... you should be banned from ever posting on here again...— JMick1215
- If we can't get up and win this game then there is no shot for us winning a Superbowl. This team has shown the talent it has on both sides of the ball but all too often we fail to show up for a game here or a game there. I hope that the show up the way they did last year when they were fighting for a playoff spot. Fortunately there is still a first round bye to fight for and I fully expect them to have their best game of the year, but who knows. We will find out exactly what kind of team we will see in the playoffs this weekend.— southpaw26
- Comment removed.
- I know that we all have different thoughts on winning, when, why, how but as someone who sat in sect. 747 to watch the Eagles beat the Cowboys to get to the Super Bowl, yes I know everyone says they were there, there is nothing, I mean nothing as satisfying as standing in the parking lot, cold as it was after a BIG Eagles win over a hated opponent.— putmeincoach
- Mr. himills, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.— reggiedunlop
- I can't believe there is talk of tanking against the Cowgirls of all people here. Besides the rationing behind "have this week as our bye" is seriously flawed. A bye means you have no opponent that week, a few extra days off and longer to game plan for your next opponent. Sitting a few players is a long way from a bye, there's still a game to plan, trip to make etc etc. Play to win the game. Go down to Arlington and put a show on in Gerry's new stadium and enjoy a week off, job done. Anything else is not to be considered. Fly Eagles!! Oh and by the way, can someone please lay a hit on Miles Austin, I'm getting bored of him taking time out of Jackson's highlight reel.— UKEagle
- Just win baby! Just win!— nb08075
- himills, the Eagles beat the Giants twice in 2006. They beat them week 15 Dec. 17 2006 in Giants stadium and then beat them in the wildcard round that year. So we know the birds can do it against the cowgirls. You obviously haven't played football, because to purposely loose a game would destroy team moral. Now if they lost after trying thier hardest it is easier to swollow then not trying at all.— engineeringagr8tdrive
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Himills- At least you were imaginative and put some thought into your post, which is more than too many of our colleagues do.— Harrylime
- ANYONE suggesting to hand Dallas a win and thus the NFC East crown is a coward and a traitor! GET REAL!! This is football....not tiddlywinks. Philly needs to win and then get the rest they fought hard to receive. And then....after the Saints lose and we win in the divisional round, we host yet another NFC title game, against Green Bay. THAT'S what you should be thinking, himills....not conceding.— philly449
- engineering....that's right....morale would be in the dumpster if we lost by design, especially with the cast of youngsters we have. The notion of losing intentionally is pure insanity.— philly449
- Bottom Line- you HAVE TO WIN BIG GAMES ALONG THE WAY- to win a Super Bowl- Big Games away-— Manny Trillo
- kjuggs77 I agree. We need this win bad, and it gives us the East crown. We lose this, and worse than losing the bye and home field advantage, we may actually give the cowboys confidence, something they haven't had in awhile. And they definitely didn't look great in the win over Washington, I mean they only put up 17 pts. But their D is good, and the way we have been tackling scares me against a fast guy in Austin- yeah I hate the guy(he is like the A-rod of fball and on the same d-bag team, but he has made some plays this year. I am worried if this becomes a Defensive battle, that we don't win it. I am also anxious to see how we do with Cole in there. Our O sputtered when Jackson came out- we really only put together that drive to win it at the end. Literally a loss here couldn't be more painful- lose to the cowgirls 2x, lose the division, lose the 2 seed and the bye, lose home field advantage. We HAVE to win this one. Go Birds!!!— Knock0ut12
- Dallas could be the best team in the NFC as of now, and we want to avoid playing them in the playoffs. Let them get beat up against MN or GB, and we can go all the way.— FloridaBrian
- Dallas best team in the NFC?? You're on something.. they have a couple wins in a row and they are the best in the NFC? lol! If there was ONE team I'd pick NOT to make it to the NFC championship, it'd be Dallas.— PhillyFanInPhoenix
- If we can run the left side trap with Cole at center, I think we should be okay. Will have to lay off the wildcat until his snapping improves.— StorminNorman
- Hey philyfaninphoenix, what makes you think that cowboys will choke?— robertjarhead
- hey philly449, what makes you sure that cowboys will choke?— robertjarhead
- hey maddy44, do you really think cole will be able to handle jay ratliff?— robertjarhead
- There's no choking necessary for them to lose. They simply are not as good as any other team in the playoffs. Yes, any team can beat any other team any given Sunday, but as far as talent and coaching and quarterbacks, Dallas is at the bottom of the list in the NFC. So might they get lucky and win a game? Sure, it's possible. However, they won't win 3 in a row against good teams to win the NFC Championship.— PhillyFanInPhoenix
- hey philly10, what makes you think you can win in dallas?— robertjarhead
- hey phillyTrue, do you really think the eagles can win in dallas. Cole will have a hard time handling ratliff>— robertjarhead
- hey aman1711, do you think McNabb will choke in dallas?— robertjarhead
- Who the hell are the God Damn Cowboys. FCK the Cowboys!— eaglelover1979
- hey phillyhoodlum22, do you really think the eagles have a chance in dallas?— robertjarhead
- hey PhillyFanInPhoenix, do you believe mcnabb will be able to handle the cowboys defense. They are playing good defense & romo is playing lot better this year. It's going to be very hard for cole to handle jay ratliff. I hope someone is going to be able to block him. Don't forget witten. he's kill the eagles defense in the past.— robertjarhead
- hey johnnyem, do you believe mcnabb will be able to handle the cowboys defense. They are playing good defense & romo is playing lot better this year. It's going to be very hard for cole to handle jay ratliff. I hope someone is going to be able to block him. Don't forget witten. he's kill the eagles defense in the past.— robertjarhead
- Comment removed.
- What are the scenarios in the event we beat Dallas and become the #2 seed? Who would we play at home? I'd love to get Dallas again but curious what other fans think?— pburns2
- #2 seed is there for the taking so i would always play for that. Lets hope they get back to basics and run the football for 4 quarters and get some stops on D, thats all that is required to be the cowgurls.— xlGmanlx
- Would love to see the Birds have to go to Minn after this Sunday's beating. Than we could repeat the process, when you come back for your third Dallas beating, for all the NFC marbles. Already sold this Sunday's game for a nice profit and would love to ring the bell hosting the Championship. Go Boy's!— dtraeger
- himills is just scared of the winning streak. I'm betting you agree with what the Colts did too. Better to get the lose when you can come back and play another game than when it means the end of you season. Stupid thinking but I understand it. Really not correct either since one game has little to do with the next.— briandor
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- So the only way for a home game is for the birds to beat dallas? All other scenerios have the eagles traveling for opening round games. Wow. What a huge game.— lotto
- It's not a LOCK that the C-girls will beat the Birds. Too much at stake..... redemption, #2 seed and the Eagles are playing their best ball right now which is better than the other 5 playoff teams. Eagles win this one 35-28! Book it!!— walt1
- Thanks for the headache Sheil, heh, heh!— DJ
- Comment removed.
- No! The only way we play Dallas in back to back weeks is if we lose! If we win we are off while Dallas has to play someone. Therefore the comment about not showing too much this weeks is inaccurate. Show it all, win it all.— Malcolm65
- himills - do you even read what you write? "I just can't see the Eagles winning three emotionally intense and challenging games in a row." So.....if they intentionally lose this game then they have to win 3 emotionally intense games ....in a row....on the road! Wow!— Malcolm65
- Hey Coniglio - Great Line - still laughing - "...as an Eagles fan, you should be rooting against Dallas even if they played Al Qaeda."
- If the real Eagles show up we can dominate the Cowboys. This up and down stuff has got to stop.— RandallFan12
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Looks from here in Dallas that the 'birds will be visiting the beautiful Cowboys Stadium twice in the coming weeks. Too bad for you guys! Romo and the boys are on the upswing and the 'birds are heading down. Been a long time coming. 'birds have been strong for a long time. Look forward to seeing you twice! Cant wish you luck though! Romo4ever!— Dallaskillsphilly2090
Can't wait to see the expression on Jerry Jones' face when the Cowboys impode again at the end of the year. But at least they have a big fancy new stadium in which to watch it all happen....- Randall....no doubt...if we play Eagles football, Dallas is a goner and we win by 20.— philly449
- himills, I remember tampa but we gotta smck the cowbyotches!— phillynupe4
- I can't remember if we split with them last year or if we swept them but I beleive we will win this game. Don and the crew will be under slightly less pressure because they will be on the road. Romo is going to be under tremendous pressure at home. Wade is going to be under tremendous pressure at home. It won't be easy but they will fall to Don and crew. Wade is a great coordinator like Buddy was and I loved Buddy. However Wade is what he is a great coordinator and not a great coach. Marty and Andy will come up with somthing extra. I know many of you don't like MV7, but he will play a major roll in this game and the post season wins towards a Super Bowl victory. I firmly beleive that!.— Elguapo50
- Beat the Cowboys, we're a contender. Lose, we're a pretender. Nuff said.— ToughLove
- Reid will out-coach Phillips, Donovan will out-duel Romo, our defense will create turnovers. I finally think that 5 has turned a psychological corner. He's leading 4th quarter comebacks, thrown very few interceptions and FINALLY has a number of big play threats around him. Most division rivalries are split in a season and I see the Iggles tieing up the season series at 1 a piece. Go Birds.
- Tough Love.....obviously, you are a girl....with ZERO knowledge of football......go back to bed.— philly449
- Dallskillsphilly.......dooosh.....you have that backwards.....Philly kills Dallas by 20......minimum.....your team is a JOKE!!! Get Real!!!!!— philly449
- You play to "Win the Game." If we have to play Dallas in the playoffs, so what. Win at Dallas, then win at home. In order to win the Division and the Bowl, we will have to run off 10 wins in a row. We're hot enough to do it. The NFC is not that strong.— The Bink
- Comment removed.
Just win! That's it..... no more, no less. 4 more wins = Super Bowl champs!- pburns--if the Eagles are the #2 seed, they could get any team in the second round except the #6 seed (likely Dallas if the Eagles beat them)....— reils
- ...and of course, under that scenario, they wouldn't play the #1 seed in the Divisional round either...— reils
- Comment removed.
- Classic Andy " i gotta put my players in a better position to make plays." How many time have we seen him come up small in really big games, him and McNabb? I loved, the wasted timeout before the half on Sav's(why is he still here)punt, that went in the endzone anyway. Also love the 53 yard field goal down 17-0 when your D hasn't stop anyone all night?? Does he ever truly watch what is happening around him, or does he look at the chart thing?— mikey48
1
Popular Posts
About this blog
Sheil Kapadia is in his fifth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest
memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with
his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to
discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or
by clicking here
Sheil Kapadia
Philly.com
Follow
Sheil on Twitter. And become
a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for even more Birds
coverage, including app-exclusive videos and analysis. Download it here.
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
