The Philadelphia Eagles – and their fans – needed that. After three straight losses, the Eagles bounced back in a major way against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.
The Eagles played their best all-around game of the season against the Raiders, as they were dominant on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they scored 31 points, which tied their third-highest total of the season.
After committing five total turnovers against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, Jalen Hurts played a much cleaner game against Vegas. He threw for 175 yards and three touchdowns and added 39 yards on the ground. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over at all.
Magic number for Eagles to win NFC East is two after win over Raiders
Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s defense didn’t allow a single point and they held the Raiders to just 75 total yards, which is an impressive feat regardless of how poor a team is. With the win, the Eagles moved to 9-5 on the season and inched closer to locking up the NFC East and securing a playoff berth.
Heading into the game against the Raiders, the magic number for the Eagles to clinch the division, and a postseason spot, was three. Now, it stands at two. That means that the Eagles need a combination of either two wins, or Cowboys losses, to secure the division.
For example, if the Eagles win two more games, they'll take the division. If the Cowboys lose two of their remaining games, the division will go to Philly. If the Eagles win one game and the Cowboys lose one, Philly wins the division.
The Eagles have three games remaining on their schedule, while the Cowboys have four heading into their matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. Here’s a look at how the remaining schedule looks for each team.
Eagles remaining opponents:
- Washington Commanders (3-10)
- Buffalo Bills (9-4)
- Washington Commanders (3-10)
Cowboys remaining opponents:
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
- Washington Commanders (3-10)
- New York Giants (2-11)
The schedule isn’t too difficult for either team, but at this point it would take basically a complete collapse on the part of the Eagles to not clinch the division. If they are ultimately able to claim the crown in the NFC East, they’ll be the first team to do so in back-to-back seasons in over 20 years.