What needs to happen for the eagles to make the playoffs?

Answer 1

The Eagles record is 8-6-1. The Cowboys, Vikings, Buccaneers, and Bears are 9-6. Either the Vikings or Bears are going to win the NFC North Division title. If the Eagles lose or tie their game against the Cowboys, they cannot make the playoffs. If the Buccaneers win or tie their game, the Eagles cannot make the playoffs. The Buccaneers hold the tie breaker over the Eagles with a better conference record, the Bucs at 8-4 and the Eagles at 7-5. If the Eagles win their game against the Cowboys and the Buccaneers lose, either the Vikings or Bears must lose their game for the Eagles to make the playoffs. This would make the loser 9-7 while the Eagles would be 9-6-1 and the Eagles would claim the second wild card spot. If both the Vikings and Bears win their game, the Vikings will win the NFC North and the Bears will be the second wild card team based on their 10-6 record against the Eagles 9-6-1 record. If the Vikings win and the Bears tie, the Vikings win the NFC North and the Eagles and Bears would be tied at 9-6-1. The Eagles would claim the second wild card spot due to beating the Bears in the regular season. If the Bears win and the Vikings tie, the Bears win the NFC North and the Vikings and Eagles would be tied at 9-6-1. The Vikings and Eagles did not play each other this season. The next tie breaker is conference record and both would be tied at 7-5. The next tie breaker is best record against common opponents with a minimum of four games played. This gets a little tricky because the common opponents are the Bears, Cardinals, and Saints. The Vikings are 2-2 against common opponents (having played the Bears twice) and the Eagles are 2-1. Since the Eagles did not play four games this tiebreaker should not apply. The next tie breaker would be strength of victory. Without knowing what the final score of the Eagles/Cowboys game will be, this tiebreaker cannot be determined at this time. Whew! Let's put it this way (and forget ties). The Eagles must win and the Buccaneers must lose. If this happens, and either the Vikings or Bears lose, the Eagles make the playoffs.