October 04, 2026
Raymond Carlin III/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Dak Prescott and the 1-2 Cowboys will face the 0-3 Texans.
The Philadelphia Eagles got embarrassed by the Chicago Bears Week 3, and will be looking to bounce back against another hard opponent in the Los Angeles Rams Week 4. The Birds' game aside, 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.
• Cowboys at Texans: The Cowboys are 1-2, but remain the Eagles' biggest threats in the NFC East. It would be helpful to the Eagles if they fell to 1-3.
• Cardinals at Giants: The Giants' season is more or less cooked, with Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns both suffering season-ending injuries, but they're 2-1. Should they get to 3-1, they might start believing in themselves, and perhaps become a dangerous opponent for the Eagles in Week 8. The sooner their confidence is crushed the better it is for the Eagles.
• Colts vs. Commanders (in London): The Commanders aren't serious contenders, but they did beat the defending champion Seahawks Week 3, so it would be ideal for the Eagles if they got back in the loss column.
• Lions at Panthers: The Lions have an extremely talented offense and are pretty clearly a bigger threat than the Panthers.
• Packers at Buccaneers: Both of these teams are frauds. The Packers are 1-2; the Bucs are 0-3. A Bucs win to even it out is more ideal.
• Falcons at Saints: This is kind of a tough call. I'm not sure which team would be more dangerous to face in the playoffs, if need be. Maybe I'll just let the outcome of this matchup decide that..
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. But this week in particular, all the NFC vs. AFC games include NFC teams with winning records.
The rooting interests in those four games are all rather obvious.
• Patriots at Bills: The Eagles own the Pats' fifth-round pick, so I suppose a Pats loss is maybe slightly more ideal.
The Patriots just need to be good enough to finish second in the AFC East, thus landing a second-place schedule in 2027, when the Eagles will really need them to be bad, since they own New England's 2028 first-round pick. That shouldn't be a problem with the Dolphins and Jets certain to lose a lot of games.
The following bolded teams play the Eagles this season, so they're just worth keeping an eye on:
The Eagles play the Jaguars next Sunday in London.
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