Eagles Fans Rooting Guide for NFL Week 14 Games

Here’s a look at which teams Philadelphia Eagles fans should be rooting for during NFL Week 14 games.

EAGLES GAME

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys: If the Eagles beat the Cowboys, Philadelphia will own the NFC East lead with three games to play. Root for the Eagles, or else.

NFC EAST GAMES

New York Giants at Washington Redskins: Washington’s outlook is bleak with Mark Sanchez as their starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Still need them to lose so they officially fall out of the NFC East and wild card picture. The Giants winning another meaningless game is also great for the Eagles. New York continues to ruin their draft position; the G-Men could move into the teens with a win. Root against Washington.

NFC GAMES

The Eagles’ chances at making the wild card improved from 0.6% heading into Week 13 to 5.5% heading into Week 14. So, it’s still unlikely, but it’s not as impossible as previously thought. Obviously, Eagles fans should be wanting the team to make the playoffs by winning the NFC East and not having to rely on the wild card. One of the issues with rooting for the wild card as backup plan, though, is that it’s essentially the same as rooting for the Cowboys to make the playoffs in that spot if the Eagles win the division. In any case, I’ll look at these NFC games through the lens of hoping Philadelphia can make the wild card.

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs are already on life support but it’d be good to see them lose. In the event they go on an unlikely run, it’s worth noting the have a direct tie-breaker over Philly. Root for the Saints.

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers: The New York Times’ playoff simulator shows that a Packers loss is better for the Eagles’ playoff chances. Root for the Falcons.

Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns: This is an important game for the Eagles’ chances of making the wild card. The Panthers losing their fifth straight game would drop Carolina to 6-7 and further open the door for Philly to make the post-season. Root for the Browns.

Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers: Might as well root for the 49ers to maintain their top draft position. Not that the Giants are likely to catch them anyway. Root for the Broncos.

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals: The Giants winning and the Lions losing would give New York with more wins than both Detroit and Arizona. The Cards winning also staves off a miraculous Lions playoff run. Root for the Cardinals.

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears: An Eagles win and a Bears loss puts Philly only one game behind Chicago. Not saying it’s likely but the door would be open for the Eagles to make a push for the No. 3 seed. That could be significant since it would mean avoiding the likely No. 5 seed, Seattle, in the wild card round. Root for the Rams.

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks: Another big game for the wild card picture. The Seahawks are likely locked in to the No. 5 seed already. They have seven wins and they still get to play both Arizona and San Francisco one more time. With that in mind, might as well root for them to win and see the Vikings drop a game instead. Minnesota losing puts the Vikes at 6-6-1. Root for the Seahawks.

DRAFT PICK WATCH

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs: The Eagles really need the Chiefs to come up with a win here to hurt the Ravens’ playoff chances. The worse Baltimore is, the better their 2019 second-round pick is for the Eagles.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders: The Eagles need the Steelers to avoid getting upset so that Baltimore can’t steal the AFC North lead. Root for the Steelers.

WHAT’S LEFT

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills: The Bills losing and the G-Men winning gives both Buffalo and the Jets fewer wins than the Giants. Best thing for draft positioning. Root for the Jets.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins winning puts them right in the mix for a wild card spot in the AFC playoff picture. That’s important since the Eagles want the Ravens to miss the playoffs. Also, screw the Pats. Root for the Dolphins.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: The Eagles really need the Colts to beat Dallas next week. It’d be nice to see Frank Reich’s team bounce back and stay alive in the AFC wild card hunt after getting shut out last week. Also wouldn’t mind seeing the Texans — Philadelphia’s Week 16 opponent — look vulnerable. Root for the Colts.

Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolts are ahead of the Ravens in the wild card standings and it needs to stay that way. Also, Cincy losing gives them a chance to pass the Giants in the draft order. Worth noting that Andy Dalton has no guaranteed money in his contract beyond this season. Maybe the Bengals, with a new head coach, draft a quarterback ahead of the Giants. Root for the Chargers.