On a weekend when just about everything went wrong for the Philadelphia Eagles, they still received a small gift courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams went into Charlotte riding a six-game winning streak while sitting atop the NFC, only to get stunned by the Carolina Panthers, 31–28. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw three touchdowns, and the Rams turned the ball over three times.
The loss dropped L.A. to 9–3 and made the Chicago Bears the NFC’s current No. 1 seed. The Bears are 9–3 and hold tiebreakers over both the Rams and Eagles, while Philadelphia sits at 8–4. If the Rams had held serve in Carolina, they’d be 10–2 and two full games clear of Philadelphia with the head-to-head tiebreaker already in their pocket from Week 3.
Instead, the Bears, Rams and Eagles are separated by a single game with five more left to play. The path back to a bye and at least one home playoff game is narrow for Philly, but it still exists.
More on How the Rams Loss Could Shape NFC Playoff Picture for Philadelphia Eagles
Mitchell Leff/GettyJalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles benefitted by the L.A. Rams losing Week 13. Philly could still get the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with some help.
Within the NFC East, the Eagles still have a cushion. At 8–4, they lead a 6-5-1 Cowboys team that has been surging, but still trails by 1.5 games. As long as Philadelphia wins the division, the Rams slip keeps the Eagles in a realistic chase for the No. 2 seed — and gives them an outside shot at the top seed if the Bears collapse late. The Bears still have to play the Lions, 49ers and the Packers twice, so they won’t have an easy go of it.
Had Los Angeles gotten to 10–2, the most plausible ceiling for Philly after back-to-back losses might have been the third seed. Now, there’s at least a scenario where an Eagles run plus a stumble or two from both the Bears and Rams could result in Philadelphia still getting one of the top two seeds.
A Look Ahead to Week 14
The Eagles head to SoFi Stadium to face the L.A. Chargers on Monday night Week 14, a matchup of 8–4 teams. The Eagles are averaging 22.5 points a game on offense, while allowing 20.8 points per contest on the defensive side. The Chargers are putting up very similar numbers, netting 23.1 ppg on offense, and giving up 21 points per game defensively.
The Eagles may have caught a huge break heading into this one, no pun intended. Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s status remains uncertain after he fractured a bone in his non-throwing hand during the Chargers’ Week 13 win over the Raiders. He returned to finish the game with a taped glove, but he’s scheduled for surgery this week, leaving his availability in doubt.
Herbert says he’s preparing as if he’ll play, but he’s likely questionable at best. He may ultimately miss the matchup depending on how his hand responds post-procedure. If he does play, the Eagles should go after him all night.
For Philadelphia, this game is a must-win. If they lost three straight, they’ll be inviting Dallas back into the race, and they could risk falling out of the race all-together if they keep spiraling.
Gifts like the Rams Week 13 loss aren’t going to be given to them regularly, so it’ll be up to the Eagles to right the ship — and fast.
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