There is nothing keeping the Eagles from the playoffs after the Saints loss Monday night to the Miami Dolphins.
And that can become official as soon as this Sunday.
The Saints’ 20-3 loss to the Dolphins increased the Eagles’ playoff chances to 68% according to the website fivethirtyeight.com.
It will be 100% if the following happens this Sunday:
►The Eagles (8-7) beat the Washington Football Team (6-9), coming off a 56-14 loss to Dallas. The Eagles beat WFT 27-17 last Tuesday.
►The Vikings (7-8) lose to the Green Bay Packers (12-3). The Packers are trying to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC and thus a first-round bye.
►A win by the 49ers (8-7) over the Houston Texans (4-11).
An Eagles win Sunday would prevent the Saints from overtaking them because the Eagles won the head-to-head matchup on Nov. 21.
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A 49ers win would eliminate the chance for a three-way tie for the final two spots. The Eagles would miss the playoffs if the three-way tie includes them, the Vikings and the 49ers.
If it’s the Eagles, Saints and 49ers in the three-way tie for a playoff spot, then the 49ers would miss out. In that scenario, the Eagles would be the No. 6 seed.
The Eagles will get in with wins in each of their last two games. They close the regular season against Dallas (11-4) on Jan. 9. All of this seemed unlikely on Oct. 24, when the Eagles were blown out by the Las Vegas Raiders 33-22, leaving them with a 2-5 record.
“That’s just the way this league is,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Adversity hits, whether it’s a 2-5 start, a postponement of a game and having to play a game off a (16)-day rest … I mean, that’s what happens in this league, so you try to prepare yourself for adversity and be able to handle it.”
For those hoping for the Eagles to get better draft position, that chance just got much worse. The Eagles also have the Dolphins’ and Indianapolis Colts’ first-round picks in the 2022 draft.
If the season ended today, all three teams would be in the playoffs, meaning those picks would fall anywhere from No. 19 to No. 32. According to the website tankathon.com, the Eagles would pick No. 19 (Miami), No. 20 (theirs) and No. 23 (Indianapolis).
Of course, it took some players overcoming bad starts for the Eagles to be in this position. Here are four who turned their seasons around, or at least turned the boos to cheers for one day:
1. WR Jalen Reagor
When the Giants last saw Reagor, he had dropped two potential game-winning touchdown passes in the final minute of the Eagles’ 13-7 loss on Nov. 28.
That included Jalen Hurts’ fourth-down heave at the Giants’ 1.
And Reagor didn’t get off to a good start Sunday in the rematch with the Giants as he lost three yards on a punt return, and dropped a pass.
Reagor, of course, was hearing the boos from the Lincoln Financial Field faithful.
But that quickly changed with his 39-yard punt return, his longest of the season, early in the third quarter. The Eagles, leading just 10-3 at the time, started the possession at the Giants’ 21 after Reagor’s return.
They got a field goal on the drive, and then proceeded to score three more touchdowns to put the game away.
And quietly, he has played better at receiver, too, since the Giants game. Over the last four games, Reagor has 8 catches for 110 yards. That won’t make anyone forget about the Eagles drafting Reagor over Justin Jefferson, but it does show that Reagor has kept plugging away on a bad season.
“Really, it was just me being aggressive,” Reagor said about his punt return. “I’m just trusting my craft every week. I’m not listening to any of the (noise), whether it’s good or bad.”
2. DT Fletcher Cox
Cox’s streak of making the Pro Bowl came to an end last week after doing so in six straight seasons.
Cox has just 3.0 sacks this season, tied for the lowest in any of his 10 NFL seasons. But two of those came last Tuesday night against the Washington Football Team. And while Cox didn’t have any sacks against the Giants on Sunday, he did have 2 tackles for losses.
“I’m not salty about it at all,” Cox said about not being selected to the Pro Bowl. “I know I can still play at that level. Obviously didn’t have numbers this year. It was kind of up and down for me … but all I can do is go out and finish the season up strong.”
3. LB Alex Singleton
Singleton’s future with the Eagles was murky at best when he and Eric Wilson were replaced as the every-down linebackers midway through the season. While Wilson was outright released, Singleton was used only in third-down packages, and on special teams.
But Davion Taylor suffered a knee injury against the Saints on Nov. 21, and Singleton went back to playing full time.
Against the Giants, Singleton returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown. Singleton had 11 tackles Sunday and leads the Eagles with 129.
4. RB Boston Scott
Scott was mostly an afterthought through the Eagles’ first six games. And he would’ve stayed that way had Miles Sanders not injured his ankle in Week 7 against the Raiders. That day, Scott got his first carries of the season.
Scott has since run for 326 yards, 49 yards short of setting a career high. Scott has saved his best for the Giants. He has 7 career TDs against New York in just 6 games. He has 4 TDs in 38 other games.
Scott should get plenty of opportunities this Sunday. Sanders has already been ruled out with a broken hand, and Jordan Howard’s status is uncertain after he suffered a stinger in the fourth quarter.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
