The Philadelphia Eagles blew a chance to clinch the NFC East in their Week 16 loss to the Washington Commanders. They didn’t squander a second chance to take home the division title.
The Eagles blew out the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 in Week 17 to officially wrap up the NFC East. Philadelphia won despite Jalen Hurts missing the game with a concussion and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett leaving the contest in the second half after taking a hard hit.
The Eagles’ victory originally secured them a top-two seed in the NFC, but the Minnesota Vikings’ 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers locked Philadelphia into the No. 2 seed. As a result, they will host the NFC’s No. 7 seed in the wild-card round.
Who will the Eagles play in the postseason? Here’s what to know about Philadelphia’s potential first-round matchups for the playoffs.
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Who will the Eagles play in playoffs?
The Eagles have clinched the NFC East and and the No. 2 seed in the NFL postseason. That sets them up with only two possible opponents. They are as follows:
- Washington Commanders
- Green Bay Packers
The Eagles also had a chance to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the No. 7 seed before “Sunday Night Football,” but the Commanders’ win over the Atlanta Falcons guaranteed that no NFC South team would make it into the wild-card race.
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Eagles playoff scenarios
Below is a look at the Eagles’ chances of playing each potential first-round opponent.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers entered Week 17 as the NFC’s No. 6 seed, but after losing to the Vikings, they fell to the No. 7 seed. As a result, they rank as the Eagles’ most likely first-round opponent.
The Packers will be locked into the No. 7 seed and a wild-card round battle with the Eagles with any of the following Week 18 results:
- The Commanders defeat the Cowboys;
- The Commanders tie the Cowboys in Week 18 AND the Packers tie the Bears;
- The Packers lose to the Bears.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) estimates that the Packers have roughly a 75% chance of being the NFC’s No. 7 seed heading into Week 18.
Washington Commanders
How can the Commanders be the NFC’s No. 7 seed? There are only two possible paths:
- Packers defeat Bears AND Commanders lose to Cowboys;
- Packers defeat Bears AND Commanders tie the Cowboys.
The Commanders have clinched the conference record tiebreaker over the Packers (Washington is 8-3 against the NFC while Green Bay is 6-5). If the two teams tie in the standings, the Commanders will retain the advantage.
That’s why ESPN’s FPI estimates Washington has about a 25% chance of being the NFC’s No. 7 seed.
NFL playoff schedule
The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend before concluding on Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Super Wild Card weekend
All times Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 11
- AFC/NFC wild card game: 1 p.m.
- AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.
- AFC/NFC wild card game: 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 12
- AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.
- AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 13
- AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 18
- AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.
- AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 19
- AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.
- AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.
NFL conference championship round
Sunday, Jan. 26
- NFC championship game: 3 p.m.
- AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.
Super Bowl 59
- Date: Feb. 9, 2025
- Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
- Time: 6:30 p.m.
- TV: FOX
NFL playoff picture
Below is a look at the NFL playoff picture with most of Week 17 in the books:
AFC
- Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners, No. 1 seed)*
- Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners, No. 2 seed)*
- Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders)*
- Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners)*
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1)*
- Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, wild card No. 2)*
- Denver Broncos (9-7, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-8), Cincinnati Bengals (8-8).
NFC
- Minnesota Vikings (14-2, NFC North leaders)*
- Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East winners, No. 2 seed)*
- Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West winners)*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, NFC South leaders)
- Detroit Lions (13-2, wild card No. 1)*
- Washington Commanders (11-5, wild card No. 2)*
- Green Bay Packers (11-4, wild card No. 3)*
