January 03, 2026
Junfu Han/Imagn Images
The Eagles will hope Jared Goff and the Lions can take down the Bears.
In Week 18, the Philadelphia Eagles will be resting starters while simultaneously hoping to win their game against the Washington Commanders with backups. Otherwise, there are a lot of matchups around the NFC that will determine playoff seeding.
Here we'll lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule for those of you on the fence while watching the other action around the league. Ideal winners bolded.
• Lions at Bears: If the Eagles win their matchup against the Commanders and the Bears lose to the Lions, the Eagles would be the 2 seed and the Bears would drop to the 3 seed. The major advantages of the seed are twofold:
Obviously, a Bears loss is ideal.
• Seahawks at 49ers: The Eagles will play one of three teams in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs — the Packers (as noted above, if the Birds earn the 2 seed), the Rams, or the 49ers. I would rank those potential opponents, from most to least ideal like so:
If the 49ers beat the Seahawks, the Rams will be locked into the 6 seed, which means the Eagles would face them if they end up as the 3 seed. If the Seahawks beat the 49ers and the Rams beat the Cardinals, the Rams will be the 5 seed, which would mean the Eagles would avoid them. The 49ers would be the 6 seed.
A Seahawks win is the better outcome.
• Cardinals at Rams: Again, as noted above, if the Seahawks win, a Rams win would mean the Eagles would avoid them in the Wild Card Round. It's probably worth noting here that the Rams would also want to avoid the Eagles in the Wild Card Round, and would prefer to play whichever team wins the NFC South.
• Panthers at Buccaneers: If the Panthers win, they're in as the 4 seed. If the Bucs win (and the Saints win on Sunday), the Bucs are in.
It's ideal if whatever team get in knocks off whatever team is the 5 seed in the Wild Card Round. In my opinion, that's the Panthers, who have looked OK-ish at times to close the season, while the Bucs are in full-on collapse mode, with a defense that can't stop a runny nose.
• Saints at Falcons: As noted above, it's better if the Panthers get in, and a Falcons win would ensure that even if the Panthers lose to the Bucs.
• Cowboys at Giants: If the season ended today, the Giants would have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Last week they were in position to have the No. 1 pick, but they stupidly didn't tank, and beat the Raiders. The further they fall in the draft, the better it is for the Eagles. A look at the draft order, via Tankathon:
The Giants can fall as far as 7th in the draft order, which, frankly, would be pretty funny.
• Bryce Huff sacks. (After a promising start, it's not looking good.)
• Jets at Bills: The Eagles own the Jets' third-round pick, so the more games they lose, the better.
And then there are several games in which it's best if teams near the top of the draft order lose, and potentially leapfrog the Giants, or stay ahead of the Commanders:
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