NFC Playoff Picture: Eagles get help from Cowboys beating the Lions

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NFC Playoff Picture: Eagles get help from Cowboys beating the Lions

Dallas clearly loves Philadelphia. How cute!

By Brandon Lee Gowton@BrandonGowton  Dec 31, 2023, 1:45am EST

 

The Philadelphia Eagles typically aren’t pleased to see the Dallas Cowboys win ... but Saturday night was a rare exception.

By defeating the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys put the Eagles one step closer to finishing as a top two seed in the NFC playoff picture.

If the Eagles beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and the New York Giants in Week 18, they will be the No. 2 seed at worst.

The Birds still have a chance at the No. 1 seed. They’ll earn a first-round bye if they win out AND the San Francisco 49ers lose to either the Washington Commanders in Week 17 or the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18. It’s not necessarily likely but it’s not impossible.

The downside to the Cowboys winning is that it prevents the Eagles from clinching the NFC East with a win over the Cardinals. It also means Philly has less margin for error in their final two games. But if the Eagles can’t win both of their next two anyway, they really don’t deserve to win the division.

It would’ve been incredibly frustrating if the Eagles actually wanted the Cowboys to lose on Saturday night. Dallas came incredibly close to blowing it at the end before they were bailed out by some awful officiating that wiped out a successful 2-point conversion to put the Lions up one point with 0:23 left.

Detroit got screwed. It’s not the first time that’s happened to them in a game against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Pretty unfortunate for the Lions and their fans. But the Eagles do benefit from the result.

https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2023/12/31/24020364/nfc-playoff-picture-eagles-cowboys-lions-no-2-seed-philadelphia-dallas-nfl-illegal-report-official