The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX at 4:25 on Sunday. That matchup aside, here we'll lay out a rooting guide for non-Eagles games on the NFL schedule for those of you on the fence while watching the other action around the league. And yes, I'm aware that most of the below is obvious. Ideal winners bolded.
NFC East
• Commanders at Packers: This was a tough one to decide on. The Commanders are the biggest threat to the Eagles within the NFC East, but the Packers are a more dangerous threat than the Commanders in the NFC. Setting sights higher than just the division makes sense from a fan perspective for a Super Bowl favorite like the Eagles. But this early in the season, it's probably best to get a lead in the division and grow that first, and then as we get into November and December turning more hateful attention to the rest of the conference.
• Giants at Cowboys: It's unlikely that either of these teams will threaten the Eagles for an NFC East crown, but the Cowboys feel much more equipped to compete than the Giants.
NFC vs. NFC
• Bears at Lions: One of these two teams will start 0-2. It would be more ideal for the Eagles and the rest of the NFC contenders if it were the Lions, who many believe will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year. A second straight Detroit loss would be a big blow to their chances.
• 49ers at Saints: The 49ers have some potential to be dangerous if a lot of things go right for them. The Saints have no chance, and from the Eagles' perspective, are the more ideal team to land a top five pick in the draft than the Giants or Cowboys.
• Panthers at Cardinals: The Panthers are another team in contention for a top 5 pick, so the more games they lose, the better. Also, the Cardinals would be an ideal NFC West winner. They'd be harmless in the playoffs.
• Falcons at Vikings: The Vikings would be an ideal NFC North winner. Rookie quarterbacks don't usually have immediate success in the playoffs.
NFC vs. AFC
• Rams at Titans: The Rams are contenders. A loss to an AFC team is obviously better for the Eagles.
• Seahawks at Steelers: Like the Cardinals above, the Seahawks would be a non-threating team in the playoffs if they won the NFC West.
• Buccaneers at Texans: I believe the Bucs are one of the Eagles' biggest threats in the NFC. They won a division game against the best competition in their division Week 1, and they don't even have Tristin Wirfs or Chris Godwin yet.
Draft pick considerations
• Bills at Jets: The Eagles own the Jets' third-round pick from the Haason Reddick trade. The more games they lose, the better.
For future reference
The following bolded teams play the Eagles this season, so they're just worth keeping an eye on:
Broncos at Colts
Chargers at Raiders
Irrelevant to the Eagles
Jaguars at Bengals
Patri*ts at Dolphins
Browns at Ravens
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