Philadelphia Eagles

Who To Root For During The Eagles Bye Week

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Philadelphia Eagles are the victims of the early bye week blues. Their fans however have plenty to root for with lots of NFC action.

The bye week is upon us, and the Philadelphia Eagles are sitting on top of the NFC East. Carson Wentz is having a season that has earned him comparisons to the all-time greats. That much is clear. As it pertains to tie-breakers, most casual fans are not paying attention until late in the year. That’s what I am here for this week.

All three NFC East division rivals are in action. The Washington Redskins host the Cleveland Browns. The Dallas Cowboys head west to take on Chip Kelly and the San Francisco 49ers. Finally, the New York Giants face the Minnesota Vikings. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who Eagles fans would want to win each of those games. The underlying question is whether the three teams can and will win. The Browns, despite not having a competent starting quarterback, could give the Redskins problems with their run game. The 49ers catch a break not having to face Dez Bryant. As for the Giants, Eli Manning has struggled historically against Mike Zimmer-led defenses. While I believe the Redskins will win, I think the 49ers pull off the upset and the Vikings remain unbeaten.

As for the rest of the NFC, there’s plenty of action to root for. Besides, why would you want to do chores or grocery shopping when you could watch football for an extra three hours today?Sure the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t NFC teams, but extra football is never a bad thing. And for east coast fans, you finally get to enjoy a day of football that west coast fans have the luxury of all season. Early morning football is one of the best ways to start the day. On to relevant matters. The Eagles have only faced one NFC team thus far, the Chicago Bears. The Bears take on the Detroit Lions. Coincidentally, the Eagles face the Lions next week. Due to their record, and the fact the Eagles have beaten the Bears already, we want the Bears to win.

A big NFC South showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers will be difficult to gauge. The simple fact is: Every division has to have a winner. Currently, the Falcons are leading the NFC South. The Eagles also play the Falcons this season. Common games is the NFL’s third tie-breaker for wild card spots. A win by the Falcons, coupled with an Eagles win over the Falcons, would be beneficial against both Atlanta and Carolina. So, rooting for the dirty birds is the way to go.

The Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all face AFC teams. Simply put, whenever an NFC team faces an AFC team, you should root for the AFC team. During Week 4, that means you should want to see the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and San Diego Chargers victorious.

Finally, the first place Los Angeles Rams (I still can’t get used to typing that) travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. What a wild start in the NFC West. The Cardinals are 1-2, on the ropes, and in desperation for a win. As I mentioned earlier, someone has to win the division. Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that the Rams win the division. The Cardinals, despite their slow start, are much more likely to be relevant at the end of the year. We want 7-9 BS for the Cardinals. The Rams, and Jeff Fisher, are destined for that catch phrase. Go Rams.

So there you have it. The Eagles might not be playing football, but there’s plenty of football that can benefit the Birds on their bye week. Regardless of what happens, the Eagles will be undefeated entering their Week 5 tilt against the Lions. The rest of the NFC landscape however could be dramatically different. Let’s hope that the differences will all favor the Eagles.