Now that the Philadelphia Eagles have clinched a playoff berth and will almost certainly be at least the 2 seed in the NFC, let's take a look at their potential playoff opponents, and rank them from easiest to hardest.
• Falcons (6-7): Yes, the Falcons beat the Eagles Week 2, but they needed a complete Eagles collapse to pull off the win, and that was also at a time this season when the Eagles' defense had not yet started to gel as a unit.
But this team sucks. They have no pass rush, their defense is ranked 27 in DVOA, and Kirk Cousins has thrown 0 TDs and 8 INTs his last four games. The Eagles would welcome a rematch with this team with open arms.
• Commanders (8-5): 36 active NFL quarterbacks have started at least one playoff game. Only 13 won their first playoff start. That would be an overall record of 13-23, or a winning percentage of 0.361.
Guys who won their first playoff starts: Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco, Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones, Case Keenum, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota, Baker Mayfield, Brock Purdy, C.J. Stroud, and Russell Wilson.
Burrow, Lawrence, Purdy, and Wilson all beat opposing quarterbacks who were also making their playoff starting debuts.
Guys who lost their first playoff starts: Josh Allen, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Andy Dalton, Jared Goff, Taylor Heinicke, Justin Herbert, Tyler Huntley, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Mac Jones, Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Geno Smith, Matthew Stafford, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyrod Taylor, Skylar Thompson, Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, and Carson Wentz.
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Jayden Daniels would of course be a neophyte playoff quarterback should the Commanders make it there. He is a heavy favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he has also cooled off the second half of the season. The Eagles would likely be touchdown-plus favorites in a home matchup against the Commanders in a 2 vs. 7 scenario in the wildcard round.
• Rams (8-6): The two best things the Rams have going for them:
- Their skill position players, most notably the WR duo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
- Their young pass rush.
The Eagles match up very well against the Rams' biggest strengths. They have the No. 2 pass defense in the NFL, which would help negate Nacua and Kupp, and they have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL, which should be able to keep the Rams' pass rush in check.
The concern for the Rams is that they can be pushed around in the trenches, as they were when the Eagles played them earlier this season.
• Seahawks (8-5): The Seahawks have won 7 straight games against the Eagles, dating back to 2011, but that feels more like trivia than an actual tangible reason why this matchup would favor the Seahawks. Geno Smith is a competent starting quarterback, but he is hardly among the league's elite. I mean, he's 34 years old and has zero playoff wins. They do feel more dangerous than the Rams out of the NFC West, however, because they have a better defense.
• Buccaneers (7-6): Jalen Hurts is 1-4 lifetime against the Bucs. Todd Bowles has consistently come up with game plans that have frustrated Hurts and exposed his weaknesses.
• Vikings (11-2): This is perhaps theoretical, but if I'm the Eagles I would worry that Brian Flores could scheme up a good pressure plan for Hurts, like he has done with other good quarterbacks this season.
On the other side of the ball, while Sam Darnold isn't exactly Patrick Mahomes, the Vikings have in my opinion the best WR duo in the NFL in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. They're on another level from other duos around the league, like the previously cited Nacua and Kupp, for example. Yes, the Eagles have the No. 2 pass defense, but sometimes elite receivers just go off.
If the Vikings don't win the NFC North, they'll be a wildcard (duh). They have a road game Week 18 (in Detroit), and then they'd have to play on the road in the wildcard round. By the time the Eagles would have to face them (likely in the divisional round), they'd be playing their third straight road game.
• Packers (9-4): The Packers are a talented team that got hot in January last season. They smacked the Cowboys around in the wildcard round and nearly upset the 49ers in the divisional round.
In 2024, Jordan Love was a hipster MVP pick for a lot of people before the season began, but a couple of leg injuries have slowed him down. He's seemingly healthy now, and is playing better of late, but every time I watch this team play anyone good they have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, whether it's penalties, untimely turnovers, or dropped passes. They are the youngest team in the NFL, and often show it. They don't feel ready yet for a deep playoff run, and because they'll be in the playoffs as a wildcard their path to the Super Bowl will almost certainly have to come via all road games.
However, there's a decent chance the Packers could be the Eagles' first round opponent in the playoffs, which would be an absolutely terrible draw.
• Lions (12-1): The Lions are the No. 1 team in the NFL in DVOA (4th ranked offense, 3rd ranked defense, 1st ranked special teams). They're explosive offensively, opportunistic defensively, and they've found ways to win tough games in a variety of ways. We've all watched this team play this season, right?
Disclaimer: We may revisit this order when the playoffs begin.
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