Eagles can still win NFC’s top playoff seed, helped by the 49ers; two teams eliminated

The Eagles (11-4) have already clinched a playoff berth, but thanks to their Christmas win against the New York Giants (5-10), the Birds still have a shot at ending up with the NFC’s top spot. That would mean a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Eagles’ narrow chance to win the No. 1 seed in the NFC improved Sunday night, thanks to the San Francisco 49ers’ (11-4) loss to the Baltimore Ravens (12-3). For the Birds to move past the 49ers, the Eagles will need to win their final two games — against the Cardinals and another against the New York Giants (5-10) — and hope the 49ers lost at least one of their remaining two games.

The top seed also remains in play for the Detroit Lions (11-4), who have a similar path as the Eagles — win out and hope the 49ers drop at least one more game. Detroit currently holds the tiebreaker against the Eagles thanks to their better record in common games, so the Eagles need the Lions to lose at least one more game.

So it might be better for Birds fans to root for the Cowboys against the Lions, assuming the Eagles can take care of the Cardinals.

The Eagles’ path to winning the NFC East and securing at least one playoff game at the Linc is pretty straightforward.

If the Eagles win their remaining two games, they’ll win the NFC East for the second straight season.

The Birds’ path to an NFC East title was helped by the Dallas Cowboys (10-5), who lost on Sunday to the Miami Dolphins (11-4). That catapulted the Eagles back into first place, and the Birds now have a 76% chance of winning the division, according to the New York Times.

The Eagles could clinch the NFC East this week with a win and a Cowboys loss to the Lions, but that would hurt the Birds’ chances of landing the No. 1. seed.

Thanks to their victory over the Vikings, the Lions have clinched the NFC North for the first time in franchise history. The last time Detroit won their division was way back in 1993 when they still played in the NFC Central.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) moved into first place in the NFC South with a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7).

Giants were eliminated from playoff contention, thanks to their loss to the Eagles. The Chicago Bears (6-9) also faced elimination, but managed a win Sunday against the lowly Arizona Cardinals (3-12).

Clinched the playoffs: San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions

Eliminated from playoffs: Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, New York Giants

The Ravens hold the top playoff spot in the AFC, but won’t be able to clinch the AFC North until next week after Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns (10-5) defeated the Houston Texans (8-7).

The Miami Dolphins (11-4) became the second team in the AFC to clinch a playoff berth, thanks to their win over the Cowboys. The Dolphins remain in first place in the AFC East, two games ahead of the surging Buffalo Bills (9-6), who eked by the Los Angeles Chargers (5-10) Saturday night. The two teams could be playing for the AFC East title in Week 18 if the Bills win next week against he New England Patriots (3-11), and the Dolphins lose against the Baltimore Ravens (11-3)

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) missed out on clinching the AFC West for the eighth straight season thanks to their loss against the Las Vegas Raiders (7-9). They also no longer have a path to win the AFC’s top playoff seed, which will end up being the Ravens, Dolphins, or Browns.

The Raiders avoided elimination from the playoffs with the win, though they face tall odds to make the postseason. The Chargers were officially eliminated thanks to their loss against the Bills.

Thanks to their loss Sunday to the Buccaneers, the Jaguars drop into a three-way tie in the AFC South with the Texans and Indianapolis Colts (8-7).

Clinched the playoffs: Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins

Eliminated from playoffs: New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Chargers

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.