For Philadelphia Eagles fans, they saw a bit of deja vu while watching the Los Angeles Rams playing the Seattle Seahawks to kick off Week 16.
After having a 30-14 lead, the Rams ended up collasping again and lost to the Seahawks in a wild 38-37 overtime game. It's the second time the Rams blew a lead of 16 or more points this season as they did it back in Week 3 against the Eagles when they were up 26-7 and ended up losing 33-26.
That loss now completely changes the look of the NFC playoff picture and where the top spot is. It also helps the Eagles in a way they didn't imagine as there is still very, very slim hope for them to earn the number one seed in the NFC.
Updated Week 16 NFC playoff picture for the Eagles
Here is where the NFC playoff picture looks after the Seahawks' win over the Rams:
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3)
2. Chicago Bears (10-4)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
5. Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
7. Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)
First things first for the Eagles: they have to win every game the rest of the season to even be in the running for the top seed in the NFC. It all starts with a win against the Washington Commanders in Week 16 to clinch the NFC East and a playoff spot. After that, it's beat the Buffalo Bills and Commanders again to get to 12-5.
Where things get tricky now is that Philly needs the Seahawks to lose to the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers, both of which are not out of the realm of possibility. The Eagles would own the tiebreaker with the Seahawks, with a better conference record and a stronger strength of schedule. For the 49ers, it's the same as it is 12-5 or worse is best case scenario for Eagles in the event of a tiebreaker.
Philly can at least be happy that the Rams got one of the losses the Eagles needed them to get. Los Angeles still needs to lose at least one more game so that if the Eagles and they are tied, they would go to a tiebreaker, which the Eagles would win.
The Eagles have to make sure they don't get into a tiebreaker with the Bears, though, as they will lose that one since they lost to them last month. Chicago must finish at best with an 11-6 record, with the remaining games against the Packers, 49ers, and Detroit Lions all can be lost by the Bears easily.
Green Bay is the last team in contention for the number one seed, as they need to be 11-5-1 or worse for the Eagles to take the top spot. The tie makes a tiebreaker scenario impossible unless the Eagles tie, but the Eagles would have the advantage over the Packers since Philly beat them last month.
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It's a lot to unpack, but the Eagles have a chance to make this happen and get themselves the number one seed. The most important thing is for Philly to win the division and get into the playoffs before they can even be considered the number one seed.