January 04, 2018
The good news for Eagles fans is that their team can't lose this weekend. The bad news is, what unfolds during the first round of the NFL playoffs, specifically in the NFC, could go a long way toward deciding the outcome of next Saturday's playoff opener.
No matter their opponent, analysts are down on the Birds after seeing back-to-back subpar performances from their offense in the wake of losing Carson Wentz for the season. But are they the most vulnerable team in the entire playoffs?
The oddsmakers give them the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl but, according to Cody Benjamin over CBSSports.com, they are the least feared team in the NFC – if not in the entire NFL – despite having the No. 1 overall seed (and the home field advantage that comes along with it):
On paper, the Eagles are No. 1 in the NFC and, just from their record, No. 1 in the NFL, but they may very well also be the least feared of any NFC playoff team. If it weren't for the Tennessee Titans, in fact, they might be the least feared of any playoff team across the league.
Now, does that actually mean anything? Probably not. This is a league where parity reigns supreme, where Wild Card candidates have won Super Bowls and where correlation between NFC playoff teams' head-to-head matchups has been hard to find. In other words, if the "any given Sunday" moniker applies anywhere, it's right in the Eagles' playoff picture, which is guaranteed to kick off against one of three NFC South clubs on Saturday, Jan. 13. [cbssports.com]
It's true, the Eagles will be facing one of the three teams from the South to make the NFC playoffs – the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers – and although the games haven't been played yet, if the chalk holds, it's looking like Nick Foles is going to get a rematch against Drew Brees and the Saints, who eliminated the Birds from the postseason in their most recent appearance (2014).
At least that's what the experts are saying.
Since the Eagles have a bye, we turned our attention to the four NFC teams that will be playing on wild-card weekend in order to gauge who the Birds can expect to welcome into Lincoln Financial Field next Saturday. Here's a look at who they believe will head to Philly for the divisional round of the playoffs (and how they got there).
Jimmy Kempski, PhillyVoice.com: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over Panthers
Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over Panthers
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersJason La Canfora, CBS Sports: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersWill Brinson, CBS Sports: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersJared Dubin, CBS Sports: Panthers
Rams over Falcons
Panthers over SaintsRyan Wilson, CBS Sports: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersJohn Breech, CBS Sports: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersDave Richard, CBS Sports: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersJamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over Panthers
Matt Bowen, ESPN: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersMike Clay, ESPN: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersMike Golic, ESPN: Falcons
Falcons over Saints
Saints over PanthersDan Graziano, ESPN: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersLisa Kerney, ESPN: Falcons
Falcons over Saints
Saints over PanthersMina Kimes, ESPN: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersKevin Seifert, ESPN: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersSeth Wickersham, ESPN: Falcons
Falcons over Saints
Saints over PanthersTrey Wingo, ESPN: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over Panthers
Peter King, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersJenny Vrentas, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersRobert Klemko, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersAndy Benoit, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersJonathan Jones, SI.com/MMQB: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersTim Rohan, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersConor Orr, SI.com/MMQB: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersMark Mravic, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersAndrew Brandt, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersKalyn Kahler, SI.com/MMQB: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersGary Gramling, SI.com/MMQB: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over Panthers
Chris Simms, Bleacher Report: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersChris Roling, Bleacher Report: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over Panthers
Ryan van Bibber, SBNation: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersStephen White, SBNation: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersGeoff Schwartz, SBNation: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersHarry Lyles Jr., SBNation: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersJeanna Thomas, SBNation: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersAdam Stites, SBNation: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over PanthersJoel Thorman, SBNation: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over Panthers
David Steele, Sporting News: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersVinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over Panthers
Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersOddsShark: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersBenjamin Hoffman, The New York Times: Saints
Rams over Falcons
Saints over PanthersTeddy Cutler, Newsweek: Falcons
Falcons over Rams
Saints over Panthers
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