NFL Playoff Picture: Eagles Fans Rooting Guide for Week 7

The 5-1 Philadelphia Eagles have the day off since it's their bye week. It's time to relax and watch other NFL teams play instead. Don't just watch any games, though, watch the ones that matter towards the Eagles' playoff hopes. According to Football Outsiders, Philadelphia currently has a 72.4% chance of qualifying for post-season play. With that in mind, there's still over half of a season left.

Here's our Eagles fan rooting guide for NFL Week 7.

NFC East: Quest for the Division Crown

Dallas Cowboys (5-1) vs. New York Giants (3-3) - Huge game as far as the NFC East standings are concerned. The Cowboys are riding high coming off a high quality victory in Seattle over the Seahawks. The reigning Super Bowl 48 champions had not previously suffered a non-division home loss since 2011. New York, on the other hand, enters the game coming off a terrible Sunday Night Football showing in Philadelphia. The G-men were held scoreless and allowed 8 sacks on the night.

If Dallas can continue to trample teams with their seemingly unstoppable run game, powered by NFL leading rusher DeMarco Murray and a dominant offensive line, it could be another long day for New York. But perhaps there's some hope for a Giants rebound after all. As I mentioned in my NFL picks against the spread, the G-men are 4-1 in their last 5 road meetings with Cowboys. Also, Dallas is 0-4 against the spread in their last four games as a home favorite. The Giants should put up more fight than they did last week. New York was averaging 35 points scored per game and 17 points allowed per game in their three wins leading up to their loss against the Eagles.

A Dallas loss would drop the Cowboys to 5-2 overall with a 0-1 division record and a 3-2 conference record. It would also ensure that the Eagles remain in first place of the NFC East. A New York win is what Eagles fans should be rooting for.

A Giants loss would be a decent consolation prize for Eagles fans. New York would drop to 3-4 overall with a 1-2 division record and a 2-4 record against NFC teams.

Root against Dallas

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Tennessee Titans (2-4) at Washington Redskins (1-5) - Washington will be seeking their second win of the season as the lowly Titans come to town. While it makes sense for Eagles fans to root against Washington, a win by D.C. might actually be a little better. If you truly believe Washington is done for the season and won't rebound, Eagles fans should hope Jay Gruden's crew can pick up a few wins and finish at something around 6-10 instead of 3-13. That way Washington would have a worse draft pick. Not to mention that Washington beating an AFC team like the Titans still leaves them at 0-2 in the NFC East and 0-4 in conference play. Otherwise, root for D.C. to drop to 1-6.

Win-win

Around the NFC

Outside of the games that involves the Eagles' division opponents, there are some NFC conference opponents to keep an eye on. Philadelphia currently ranks first overall in the NFC and they could maintain that lead with some losses around the league.

Minnesota Vikings (2-4) at Buffalo Bills (3-3) - The Vikings don't appear to be much of a threat in the NFC, but you can root against them anyway since they're facing an AFC team.

Atlanta Falcons (2-4) at Baltimore Ravens (4-2) - Like the Vikings, the Falcons don't appear to be much of a threat. To be on the safe side, root for the Ravens.

Carolina Panthers (3-2-1) at Green Bay Packers (4-2) - The Eagles play both of these teams later in the year. The Panthers have a negative point differential and might be a little worse than their record indicates. The Packers will probably give the Eagles a bigger challenge for playoff seeding. Root for Carolina, though that would make them 4-0 in conference play.

Miami Dolphins (2-3) at Chicago Bears (3-3) - The Bears don't appear to be a huge threat to the Eagles but they're not dead in the water. Root for Bill Lazor's Dolphins.

New Orleans Saints (2-3) at Detroit Lions (4-2) - The Saints haven't looked very good this season. Meanwhile, the Lions' defense looks very good. Hope for a New Orleans upset in Detroit.

Seattle Seahawks (3-2) at St. Louis Rams (1-4) - It's hard to see the Seahawks dropping to .500 here but a Rams upset would certainly help the Eagles build a cushion on the defending Super Bowl champions.

Arizona Cardinals (4-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-5) - The Cardinals currently rank second in the NFC right behind the first place Eagles. Philadelphia also travels out to Arizona next week for what's slated to be a Battle of the Birds. A Raiders win helps the Eagles in the standings.

San Francisco 49ers (4-2) at Denver Broncos (4-2) - The 49ers are the only team to beat the Eagles all season. By that virtue, they hold a direct tie-breaker over Philadelphia in the NFC playoff race. Root for Peyton Manning and the Broncos to end San Francisco's three game win streak.