A couple weeks ago, it would have been reasonable to say the Super Bowl champion Eagles were no longer contenders to repeat. At the end of this week, the Eagles may own a share of first place.
Week 13 represents a crucial week for the Eagles, and their last, best chance to put themselves back into position to get to the playoffs and, perhaps, repeat as Super Bowl champions: Philadelphia is currently 5-6, a game behind 6-5 Dallas and Washington, but with Dallas a 7.5-point underdog against New Orleans tonight, and with Philadelphia a 6.5-point favorite at home against Washington on Monday night, the Eagles are actually favored to be in a three-way tie for first place at 6-6 at the end of Week 13.
That would set up a Week 14 game at Dallas as a very big one, with the Eagles moving a game ahead of the Cowboys, and earning the tiebreaker advantage, with a win.
The Eagles’ schedule doesn’t get any easier after that, with a trip to Los Angeles to take on the Rams, followed by a home game against the Texans and a trip to Washington to finish the season. But the Eagles control their destiny in the NFC East: Win out and they win the division.
That looked like a pipe dream a couple weeks ago. The Eagles lost at home to the Cowboys, then got blown out 48-7 against the Saints. They were 4-6 and seemed unlikely to catch either Dallas or Washington, let alone both of them.
But the Alex Smith injury cast a pall over Washington’s season, and the schedule gives the Eagles a chance to win at Dallas and even things up with the Cowboys. The defending champions have not played as well this year as they did last year, but they’re not done yet.
