Eagles rooting guide for Week 13 games

The thirteenth Sunday of the 2022 NFL regular season is here! It’s time to run through a Philadelphia Eagles-focused rooting guide for all of the Week 13 games.

This exercise will be especially interesting this year since the Birds have more things to care about than usual due to owning a first-round pick from the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL Draft.

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

Via ESPN:

2023 NFL DRAFT ORDER

Via Tankathon:

EAGLES GAME

TENNESSEE TITANS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: As a reminder, the Eagles can officially clinch a playoff berth this weekend. They’ll need to win in order to make that happen.

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS at NEW YORK GIANTS: The Giants have the better winning percentage but the Commanders are arguably the bigger threat to the Birds. It would be preferable to see Washington not make the postseason at this point. Also, a Giants win is one of the four results the Eagles need to clinch on Sunday. Root for the Giants.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at DALLAS COWBOYS: The Eagles probably can’t count on the Colts beating the Cowboys and giving Philly more cushion atop the division. But you’ve gotta root for Jeff Saturday anyway. Would be fun if Nick Foles was starting for Indy in this one. Root for the Colts.

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

NEW YORK JETS at MINNESOTA VIKINGS: The Eagles wouldn’t mind having more cushion for the No. 1 seed with a Vikings loss. Root for the J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS!

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at LOS ANGELES RAMS: The Seahawks winning the NFC West is preferable to San Fran winning the NFC West. But the Rams winning helps towards their first-round pick owed to Detroit moving below the Saints pick owed to Philly in the draft order. A Seahawks loss is also one of the four outcomes the Eagles need to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday. Root for the Rams.

MIAMI DOLPHINS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Easy call to root for the AFC team over the NFC team. The 49ers are one of the biggest threats to Philly reaching the Super Bowl. It would be preferable to see them not make the postseason. Or at least enter the playoffs with the lowest possible seed. Also, a 49ers loss is one of the four outcomes the Eagles need to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday. Root for the Dolphins.

DRAFT PICK WATCH

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: This Monday Night Football matchup bears watching. If the Saints pull off the upset, their playoff odds surge to 24% as they stay alive for the NFC South crown. If the Saints lose, their chances drop to 0.9% with the Bucs cementing a head-to-head tiebreaker over New Orleans. The Eagles will be rooting hard for Tom Brady in this one. Root for the Buccaneers.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS at ATLANTA FALCONS: The Steelers currently have a better chance of being ahead of the Saints pick owed to Philly in the draft order. Root for the Steelers.

DENVER BRONCOS at BALTIMORE RAVENS: The Broncos pick owed to Seattle is currently at No. 3, which is three spots ahead of the Saints pick owed to Philly. Root for the Broncos.

GREEN BAY PACKERS at CHICAGO BEARS: The Bears pick is currently at No. 2, which is four spots ahead of the Saints pick owed to Philly. Root for da Bears.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at DETROIT LIONS: Due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker, the Saints pick owed to Philly has a greater chance of moving below the Jags’ spot in the draft order. Also, the Jags have a tougher remaining strength of schedule than Detroit does so they need to get a win while they can. And, above all, Doug Pederson is the man. Root for the Jaguars.

CLEVELAND BROWNS at HOUSTON TEXANS: The Texans might lose out. Maybe one or two more wins at the very most. The Saints pick owed to Philly probably can’t get ahead of Houston’s selection. Best to root for the Browns pick owed to Houston to remain below the Saints pick owed to Philly in the draft order. Although it’s certainly not easy to root for Deshaun Watson having success. Root for the Browns.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: The Raiders pick is currently at No. 9, which is three spots below the Saints pick owed to Philly. Root for the Raiders.

WHAT’S LEFT

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at CINCINNATI BENGALS: Doesn’t really matter. If you’re really getting into the weeds, one could say that a Bengals loss is preferable when it comes to not aiding the Cowboys’ strength of victory tiebreaker. But that category might not really matter. One could also argue that a Chiefs loss is preferable because it helps Jalen Hurts’ MVP argument by damaging Patrick Mahomes’ case.