Who should Eagles fans root for on Thanksgiving? Packers-Lions, Cowboys-Chiefs impact NFC playoff picture

Billy Heyen

Who should Eagles fans root for on Thanksgiving? Packers-Lions, Cowboys-Chiefs impact NFC playoff picture image

The Philadelphia Eagles and their fanbase get to have a relaxing Thanksgiving.

Philly doesn't play on Thursday, rather taking the field on Black Friday against the Chicago Bears.

That doesn't mean there isn't stuff to pay attention to in Thanksgiving's NFL action.

Particularly the day's first two games, Packers-Lions and Chiefs-Cowboys, will have an impact on the NFC playoff picture.

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Who should Eagles fans root for on Thanksgiving?

Eagles fans should root for the Lions, and interestingly, there's a case to be made to root for the Cowboys.

When Green Bay and Detroit meet to start the day, rooting for the Lions is simply about ensuring the Eagles a better chance at the NFC's No. 1 seed. The Packers have a better record than Detroit, so it helps Philly more if the Packers lose.

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In the Chiefs-Cowboys game, it's more nuanced.

Generally, you'd want to root against the NFC East rival Dallas. Except the Cowboys enter the day at 5-5-1, unlikely to be a threat to catch the 8-3 Eagles down the stretch.

The Chiefs are 6-5 and not locked into a playoff spot yet in the AFC, although with Patrick Mahomes, they're always a postseason threat. A loss would make their path to a Super Bowl rematch tougher.

It's not bad for the Eagles if Dallas loses. But the team that probably has a bigger chance of upending a Super Bowl repeat for Philadelphia isn't the Cowboys but is instead the Chiefs. So a K.C. Loss could have long-term benefits.

And if you're watching Bengals-Ravens at night, you might as well root for Cincinnati, who has a much worse record than Baltimore. This again goes with the Mahomes line of thinking. Making life tougher on Lamar Jackson as far as the playoff picture goes could help the Eagles in the long run.

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Editorial Team