September 27, 2026

Week 3 non-Eagles rooting guide

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Kevin Jairaj/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Rio.

The main event for Philadelphia Eagles fans Week 3 will be on Monday night, when the Birds will take on the Bears in Chicago. But for now, 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.

And yes, I'm aware that most of the below is obvious. Ideal winners bolded.

NFC East

• Ravens vs. Cowboys (in Brazil): The Cowboys were always the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC East, but now even more so after the Giants lost their quarterback for the season and the Commanders likely lost theirs for the next month or so. Every Cowboys loss is obviously helpful for the Eagles' chances of being NFC East champs for the third consecutive season.

• Titans at Giants: At some point, whenever the Giants are completely out of the hunt it will be time to root for them to win games, especially against a team like the Titans, who could be competing with the Giants for draft positioning.

But for now, it's probably best for them to simply fade away, as quickly as possible, especially with an extremely easy next three games on their schedule (Titans, Cardinals, at Commanders). If they somehow win three straight games with Jameis Winston at quarterback, they will be 4-1. It's probably best for the Eagles if they face a team Week 9 that knows they're cooked than a team that believes in itself.

• Seahawks at Commanders: The Commanders were trash even before they lost Jayden Daniels with a dislocated elbow. Although winning the NFC East is one of many goals the Eagles should have, the bigger overall goal is to win the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks are far bigger threats to that than the Commanders. (Plus, the Commanders are already 0-2.)

NFC vs. NFC

• Cardinals at 49ers: Obviously the Niners are bigger threats in the NFC than the Cardinals, and at 2-0 their season is off to a fast start.

• Vikings at Buccaneers: The Vikings are 2-0 and the Bucs are 0-2, so a Bucs win would even that out a bit.

I still don't buy the Vikings as legitimate Super Bowl contenders given their quarterback situation, but they have good talent otherwise. It's probably worth noting that nobody bought the Seahawks as Super Bowl contenders this time last year because of their quarterback situation. So maybe it's just best if the Vikings lose some games.

NFC contenders vs. AFC

For all the NFC vs. AFC games, this early in the season it's pretty simple — The more games the NFC teams lose to AFC teams, the higher the odds are that the Eagles will (a) be in the playoffs, and (b) have a higher seed if they get there.

Rams at Broncos
Jets at Lions
Panthers at Browns
Raiders at Saints

Rams and Lions losses should be of particular interest.

Draft considerations

• Chiefs at Dolphins: With the Giants' and Commanders' seasons already in extreme peril, it's best if a team like the Dolphins loses as many games as possible to secure a higher pick in what is considered to likely be a loaded 2027 draft.