After cruising through the first 14 games, the Philadelphia Eagles have hit some potholes in the past two games.
The Eagles sit at 13-3 and will need either a win over the New York Giants or losses by both the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers to clinch the top seed in the NFC.
Helping the cause is the belief the Giants will be resting starters against Philadelphia.
The Giants play the Eagles next week and someway, somehow: The Giants can rest their starters next week and the Eagles can’t.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 1, 2023
New York is locked into the sixth seed, regardless of whether they win or lose this week.
While it seems probable the Eagles will secure the first-round bye, it is not a guarantee.
Bad losses in consecutive weeks and injuries at key positions have made the Eagles seem beatable.
These two playoff teams would be dangerous matchups come playoff time.
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia ranks near the top of the league in most offensive and defensive stats.
They have a top-five scoring offense, rushing attack, and pass defense.
The Eagles are also top-10 in scoring defense and passing offense.
However, they are 18th in the league in rush yards surrendered and 24th in rush yards per attempt.
Subsequently, the Cowboys are one of the better rushing offenses in the league.
They have a bruiser in Ezekiel Elliott and a home-run threat in Tony Pollard.
Losing Terence Steele hurt the offensive line, but they still field one of the better units in the NFL.
The Cowboys went over 100 yards in both games against the Eagles this year.
A playoff matchup against Dallas could spell trouble.
San Francisco 49ers
Everything mentioned about why Dallas could pose problems is even more true against the 49ers.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan schemes one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL and has the personnel to take it to the next level.
Stars such as Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel run behind a top-10 offensive line.
The 49ers average 4.7 yards per attempt – right in line with the Eagles’ offense.
The @49ers defense is something special!! pic.twitter.com/PYgfwuwvhy
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 16, 2022
San Francisco backs up their rushing attack with one of the league’s most fearsome defenses.
They surrender a measly 16.5 points per game (best in the league) and five yards per play (fifth best).
If teams fall behind early against the 49ers, it is tough to recover.
San Francisco could exploit the Eagles’ biggest weakness on the biggest stage.
