NFL Playoff Picture: Eagles maintain cushion with win over Bills

Philly took another step closer to clinching the No. 1 seed.

For the second week in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles held serve in the NFC playoff picture despite being down 10 points at halftime. Must be pretty frustrating for those rooting for the Birds to slip up!

The Eagles are now 10-1 after beating the Buffalo Bills in overtime. The New York Times’ playoff simulator shows how their chances improved:

• Chances of winning the NFC East: From 93% to 94%
• Chances of clinching the No. 1 seed: From 71% to 75%

The Eagles got some help on Thanksgiving with the Detroit Lions losing (despite being 7.5-point home favorites) to the Green Bay Packers. That result gives Philly less reason to worry about the Lions surging for the top spot in the conference.

The bad news is that the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys both won on Thanksgiving … and looked pretty good doing so.

And those are the Eagles’ next two opponents.

On one hand, it’s a prime opportunity for the Eagles to really prove their worth and clinch the No. 1 seed by winning those games.

On the other hand, beating those teams will be pretty difficult. And not just because they’re really good … but also because they’re going to have rest advantages. The 49ers are coming off a mini-bye having played on Thursday in Week 12. The Cowboys will be coming off a Thursday game before hosting the Eagles at AT&T Stadium.

Even winning just one of those two games would be really, really nice.

If they happen to lose both, all is not lost. It obviously won’t feel good to lose to both of the top threats in the NFC … but the Eagles could still conceivably get the No. 1 seed if they win out over their final four (at SEA, vs. NYG, vs. AZ, at NYG). Or at least the No. 2 seed.

One would think the Eagles will need to be sharper in order to win their upcoming games. Then again, they’ve managed to win all season long without ever really playing their A-game, so, who knows.

Here’s a full look at the NFC side of the NFL playoff picture ahead of Week 13.

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

THE TOP SEVEN

DIVISION LEADERS

1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-3, conference record tiebreaker)
3. Detroit Lions (8-3)
4. Atlanta Falcons (5-6, head-to-head over NO tiebreaker)

WILD CARDS

5. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
6. Minnesota Vikings (6-5, conference record tiebreaker)*
7. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)

IN THE HUNT

8. Green Bay Packers (5-6, head-to-head over LAR and NO tiebreaker)
9. Los Angeles Rams (5-6, conference record tiebreaker)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-6)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7)

GRAVEYARD

12. New York Giants (4-8, head-to-head over WAS tiebreaker)
13. Washington Commanders (4-8)
14. Chicago Bears (3-8)*
15. Arizona Cardinals (2-10)
16. Carolina Panthers (1-10)

*Minnesota and Chicago will play on Monday Night Football to wrap up Week 12.