NFC East update: Commanders & Eagles could still meet in first round
This weekend’s regular-season finales may not be the last time we see NFC East rivals do battle this year. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders have clinched playoff spots and a potential showdown between them could come as early as the first round. And wouldn’t you know it, the Dallas Cowboys may have a say in whether or not it happens.
Philly’s blowout victory over Dallas last week secured them the NFC East. Also, based on other happenings in the conference, the Eagles are now locked into the second seed in this year’s playoffs. Their game against the Giants this Sunday is entirely meaningless, which is why they’ll reportedly rest starters despite Saquon Barkley’s shot at the single-season rushing record.
Washington’s final game in Dallas isn’t so irrelevant. They’re still jostling with the Green Bay Packers for the sixth seed, currently tied at 11-5 overall but with the Commanders holding a tiebreaker based on conference wins. Green Bay will host the Bears, who haven’t won a game since mid-October, which puts a lot of pressure on Washington to handle business against the Cowboys.
Why does it matter? The difference between the sixth and seventh seed in the first round is either traveling to Philadelphia (second) or Los Angeles (third). While the Eagles have won an impressive 13 games already this season, the Rams are on a five-game winning streak and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. Both are going to make for tough sledding for the wild card teams.
That said, the NFL’s playoff format makes seeding important in every round. The lowest-seeded team still standing after the first round will have to go to either Detroit or Minnesota in Round 2, depending on who winds up number one. If both the Commanders and Packers were to get road upsets as wild card teams, whoever started the playoffs as the seventh seed would get that unwanted prize.
We don’t know if the Commanders would rather see the Eagles or Rams in the first round. But while they haven’t faced the Rams this year, they split the season series with Philly. And while Washington did get the win in the second game, it was a nail-biter at home even with Jalen Hurts leaving injured early in the first quarter. If the Eagles are back to normal and rested, the Commanders would probably prefer their chances against Los Angeles.
So that brings us to the Cowboys. We’re already hearing that Trey Lance will play at least a significant portion of the game, and there’s a good shot he’ll be starting. As evidenced by CeeDee Lamb’s shutdown last week and Ezekiel Elliott’s release this week, Dallas is already moving into offseason mode. If that mentality has trickled down the roster, they may not offer much resistance to the playing-to-win Commanders.
Still, outside of last week’s flop in Philly, the Cowboys have shown a lot of heart in the back portion of the season. If the Commanders get stunned and the Packers do their thing against Chicago, then we’ll get a tasty showdown of NFC East rivals as part of Wild Card Weekend.