Eagles clinch a playoff spot Sunday despite not playing; four more teams eliminated

The Eagles (10-3) clinched a playoff spot before even taking the field against the Seattle Seahawks (6-7) on Monday Night Football.

Thanks to the San Francisco 49ers win against the Arizona Cardinals, the Eagles became the third NFC team to clinch the team’s third straight postseason appearance.

The Eagles have been looking to punch their playoff ticket for three weeks. Just 12 NFL teams have reached the 10-win mark and failed to make the playoffs since 1990, when the league expanded to a 12-team format. It’s actually happened twice to the Eagles, who didn’t reach the postseason after going 10-6 in 2014 and 1991. The last team to end the season with 10 wins and miss the playoffs was the Miami Dolphins in 2020.

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The Eagles moved into first place of the NFC East, thanks to the Buffalo Bills (8-6) win over the Dallas Cowboys (10-4) Sunday. The Eagles can take a full one-game lead over the Cowboys with a win over the Seahawks Monday night.

A win against the Seahawks and the Eagles increase their chances of winning the decision to 85%, according to the New York Times playoff simulator, while a loss drops their chances to 60%. On the plus side, the Eagles have a much easier schedule remaining than the Cowboys, who still have to play both the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions.

Clinched the playoffs: San Francisco 49ers (11-3), Dallas Cowboys (10-4), Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)

Eliminated from playoffs: Carolina Panthers (2-12), Arizona Cardinals (3-11), Washington Commanders (4-10)

Coming off their blowout romp against the Eagles last week, the Cowboys clinched a playoff birth before taking the field Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills (8-6), thanks to the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) loss to the Carolina Panthers (2-12)

The Detroit Lions (10-4) defeated the Denver Broncos (7-7) Sunday night in a blow out, and can clinch a spot in the playoffs if the Eagles defeat the Seahawks Monday.

The San Francisco 49ers (11-3) had already clinched a playoff berth, but they locked up the NFC West thanks to their win against the Arizona Cardinals (3-11). The 49ers are also in the drivers seat for the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed with tiebreakers against both the Eagles and Cowboys.

Two NFC teams were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday — the Cardinals and Washington Commanders (4-10).

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Eliminated from playoffs: New England Patriots (3-10), New York Jets (5-9), Tennessee Titans (5-9)

Week 15 began with nine AFC teams within one win of one another, creating a playoff logjam.

The Baltimore Ravens (11-3) became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff spot Sunday, thanks to their win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday Night Football.

Both the New York Jets (5-9) and Tennessee Titans (5-9) were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. The Los Angeles Chargers (5-9) can also be officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday if the Jaguars upset the Ravens.

Thanks to the Jets’ loss, it isn’t likely Aaron Rodgers will rush to the team’s 53-man roster despite being medically cleared to practice, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Rodgers torn his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the Jets’ season opener in September, and it was expected he’d miss the entire season.

The NFL playoffs begin with the wild-card round, with the first game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Jan. 13 on NBC.

There are six wild-card games that will air on Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. The new wrinkle this year is one wild-card game will stream exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s subscription service.

The Eagles will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Monday Night Football showdown. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lumen Field in Seattle.