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The Philadelphia Eagles aren't just tied for first place in the NFC East. According to several metrics, they actually have the best chance to win the whole damn thing.
After last night's win, the Eagles have a 43% chance of winning div with a 7-9 record (538s Elo). NYG 28%, WAS 19% https://t.co/ScOpPSGDv0
— Jerome's Friend (@JeromesFriend) December 8, 2015
Chances to win NFC East, per ESPN’s Football Power Index PHI 49.7% WSH 21.0% NYG 20.8% DAL 8.5% pic.twitter.com/uM1jdP55Jm
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 8, 2015
It's still pretty hard to believe that the Eagles are actually here. Their season looked dead after allowing 45 points in two straight losses. But thanks to the combination of a shocking win over the Patriots and Philadelphia's division rival being awful, they're potentially playoff bound.
The Giants and Washington are currently the biggest threats to the Eagles. Washington is technically still first in the NFC East since they have a head-to-head tiebreaker over Philly. The bad news for them, however, is that three of their remaining games are on the road. Washington is 0-5 on the road this season and 1-12 over the past two seasons. New York, meanwhile, is at a disadvantage since they already lost to the Eagles. The G-Men still have a home game against the undefeated Panthers and a road game against the 8-4 Vikings. The Cowboys are only one game back and actually own the best division record but they have still have games in Green Bay and Buffalo.
There's even a realistic situation where the Eagles can lose their next two games but still win the division by taking care of Washington and New York in the final two weeks.
From NYT's simulator: If #Eagles lose against both Buffalo and Arizona, but beat Washington and NYG, 71% chance to win division.
— EaglesRewind (@EaglesRewind) December 7, 2015
It's hard to know what to expect out of this Eagles team down the stretch given how inconsistent they've been all season. But if they can build off their big win over the Patriots and get hot here at the right time, the playoffs are certainly within reach.