By Jimmy Kempski
Copyright phillyvoice
The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. That matchup aside, here we’ll lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule for those of you on the fence while watching the other action around the league. And yes, I’m aware that most of the below is obvious. Ideal winners bolded.
• Commanders at Falcons: For the second straight week the Commanders will roll with Marcus Mariota at quarterback in this game. They were fortunate to have the Raiders on their schedule when Jayden Daniels missed Week 3, and they’re similarly fortunate to get the crappy Falcons without Daniels Week 4. But obviously, a Falcons win here is ideal.
• Chargers at Giants: On the one hand, the Giants need to win some games in order for Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen to keep their jobs. On the other hand, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is getting his first career start in this matchup. With the Eagles playing the Giants Week 6 and 8, it’s probably not ideal for Dart to look good, win a game against a good team, and have the rest of their roster begin to believe in themselves.
• Packers at Cowboys: Yes, the Cowboys reside in the NFC East, but they’re not a real threat to the Eagles, while the Packers perhaps could be. A Cowboys win over Micah Parsons and Green Bay is more ideal.
The biggest threats in the NFC
• Browns at Lions: The Browns did the Eagles a solid by beating the Packers in Week 3. They’re unlikely to recreate that magic against the Lions as 10-point underdogs, but you never know!
• Colts at Rams: The Rams gave the Eagles their hardest game in the playoffs, and they thoroughly outplayed the Eagles for 2.5 quarters last week. The Eagles would probably be best served if they were able to avoid the Rams in the playoffs.
Other NFC playoff contenders
• Vikings at Steelers: The Vikings would be an ideal NFC North winner and potential playoff opponent, with either J.J. McCarthy or Carson Wentz at quarterback.
• Jaguars at 49ers: I’ve decided that if any team other than the Rams wins the NFC West, that’s an ideal outcome. The 49ers aren’t the team they once were and would be a favorable playoff matchup.
• Bears at Raiders: The Bears would be a much more ideal NFC North winner than the Lions or Packers, though highly unlikely.
Draft pick considerations
• Jets at Dolphins: The Eagles own the Jets’ third-round pick in 2026. That pick could be valuable if it’s high up in the third round. That’s the range where the Eagles have found players like Andrew Mukuba, Tyler Steen, and Milton Williams. The Jets are already 0-3.
For future reference
The following bolded teams play the Eagles this season, so they’re just worth keeping an eye on:
Saints at BillsBengals at Broncos
Irrelevant to the Eagles
Panthers at PatriotsTitans at TexansRavens at *Chiefs
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