Dissecting every Philadelphia Eagles postseason scenario

Do the Philadelphia Eagles still have hope for the playoffs?

For those who are holding out hope for a potential Philadelphia Eagles playoff berth, it’s not over yet. By now, most fans know the scenario. The Eagles need to win out. The Washington Football Team needs to lose out. The New York Giants need to lose one of their next two. Let’s take this one game at a time though.

New York plays the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Ravens are tied with the Miami Dolphins for the seventh seed in the AFC but Miami has the tiebreaker. They have a lot to play for and they’re picking up momentum. This is the New York game that Eagles fans should have their eye on. Hoping that the Giants will lose to Dallas in Week 17 isn’t the best bet.

Daniel Jones was limited in Wednesday’s practice with that hamstring injury. Head coach Joe Judge tried to play Jones versus the Cardinals in Week 14 but Jones was clearly not at full health. It might take another week to get him back because of that decision. New York has played teams close all year long. They beat the Seattle Seahawks with Colt McCoy starting just a few weeks ago. Even without Jones, it’s by no means a sure loss but it does have an impact.

The Philadelphia Eagles might have a shot.

The Washington Football Team also has some quarterback concerns. This is old news but in case you missed it, Dwayne Haskins made a poor decision this past weekend. Alex Smith is still dealing with a calf injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday.

Haskins was removed as a captain and received a fine. He will not be suspended by the team. Some thought there should have been more consequences. Maybe that is a sign about Smith’s potential status for Sunday. This is just speculation but maybe Washington is not as optimistic about Smith’s return as they have said they are. After Smith and Haskins, Taylor Heinicke is next up. In the midst of a playoff race, Heinicke is one of the last quarterbacks you want starting.

In addition to the quarterback situation, Antonio Gibson was limited, Morgan Moses was limited, and Terry McLaurin did not practice. There is optimism about those three though. The Carolina Panthers are better than their record suggests. They’ve played well even without Christian McCaffery. Their last win was on November 22nd against the Detroit Lions. They have played teams close and they’re going to come into this game hungry. NFC South teams can never be taken lightly.

Washington’s game has been flexed to 4:05 PM EST, so the Eagles won’t know their playoff fate until their game is over. Eagles fans will be checking the score of that game fairly often as the ‘Birds’ play against the Dallas Cowboys. All the Eagles need is a chance. If they can take care of business against Dallas and Carolina and Baltimore can give them some help, they’ll get a chance against Washington in Week 17. While the mock drafts are starting up, it’s not over until it’s over.