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The 6-5 Philadelphia Eagles have the day off since it's their bye week. It's time to relax and watch some other teams play instead. Don't just watch any game, though, watch the ones that matter towards the Eagles' playoff hopes.
Safer Bet: Quest for the Division Crown
The Eagles currently reside in sole place of the NFC East. According to FootballOutsiders, the Eagles have a 53.3% chance of winning the division. If they're going to make the playoffs, winning the division is the best route.
Close behind Philadelphia's lead is the Dallas Cowboys who own a 5-5 record. The Cowboys travel to New York on Sunday to take on the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Giants are on a four game winning streak and looking to revitalize their seemingly lost season.
The rooting interests in this game have already been discussed here at BGN, but we'll say it again: a Dallas loss is more beneficial to the Eagles than a Giants loss. Dallas would fall to 5-6 and New York would rise to 5-6 as well. The consolation prize in Dallas winning is that the Giants season would effectively be over at 4-7.
Root for the Giants
Fallback Plan: The Wildcard Path
If the Eagles don't win the division, grabbing a wildcard spot is still in play, although less likely. The Eagles are competing against several other NFC teams for two wildcard spots. FootballOutsiders lists the Eagles' chances of winning a wildcard at only 7.7%.
Lions vs. Buccaneers - The Lions are the current leaders in the NFC North but if they fall out of the lead they could seek a WC spot. A loss to Tampa Bay would knocks Detroit down to 6-5. Root for the Bucs.
Packers vs. Vikings - The Packers are struggling without Aaron Rodgers. The Packers QB is expected to return sometime, however, and that will make them a much more difficult team. A Green Bay loss sends the Packers to 5-6. Cheer for the Vikings to steal this game.
Cardinals vs. Colts - Arizona is the team the Eagles play next week. The Colts seem to be struggling lately, but it should be a winnable game for them. A Cardinals loss would drop the team to 6-5. Cheers for the Colts.
Rams vs. Bears - Chicago is without Jay Cutler for their away game at St. Louis. Josh McCown will fill in for him. The Rams are inconsistent. Sometimes they look good, sometimes... not so much. Root for STL to pull off the win to knock the Bears to 6-5.
49ers at Washington - Lastly we have a game that was already discussed here at BGN. If Washington finds a way to upset the Niners at home, San Francisco falls to 6-5. Root for DC.