The best team in the NFL is the Phildelphia Eagles and it’s not close at all. However, we have to acknowledge the fact that they have lost some valuable pieces this offseason. Players like DE Josh Sweat and DT Milton Williams bolted from the Eagles and cashed in with their new teams.
At the same time, Howie Roseman tends to draft well so finding depth shouldn’t be a problem. We saw what the Eagles did in the playoffs and in the Super Bowl and it showed exactly why they, not the Kansas City Chiefs, were the best team throughout the playoffs. With their dominating Super Bowl performance against the Chiefs, the Eagles are on top of the league and teams will be looking to knock them off.
The Eagles are a physical football team who are at an ultimate high as defending Super Bowl champs. Now we will see if the Super Bowl hangover will be a problem in 2025.
As the Eagles approach the draft and the rest of the offseason, it’s important to take a look at which teams just within their own conference who may have the best chance at taking away a potential repeat.
Which NFC contenders have the best chance to knock off the Eagles, pre-NFL draft?
Green Bay Packers
You can pretty much guarantee that the Green Bay Packers are going to be competitive every year. They just haven’t had a lot of playoff success since Aaron Rodgers was under center.
The Packers haven’t had an extremely busy offseason, but they have spent some money for sure. They signed offensive lineman Aaron Banks to a massive four-year, $77 million deal to help solidify the offensive line now that Josh Myers is out of Green Bay. They also brought in more secondary help with cornerback Nate Hobbs from the Raiders. Hobbs is coming to Green Bay on a four-year, $48 million deal.
The Eagles beat the Packers twice last season (Week 1 and in the playoffs), but Green Bay plays them tough. Don’t think for a second that if these two teams meet up again in the playoffs and Green Bay comes out swinging, the Eagles could be in trouble.
Los Angeles Rams
The first time that the Eagles and Rams faced off last season, the Eagles beat them by 17 points, winning 37-20. Philly put up 24 second-half points and never let the Rams get close to winning. It was a completely different story when they later met in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Rams were the only team in the playoffs that gave the Eagles a run for their money. LA had the chance to make a game-winning drive but the Eagles’ ferocious defense came up big late in the fourth quarter, especially Jalen Carter. The Eagles escaped with a 28-22 win.
Now the Rams have Matthew Stafford back again and they are going from having Cooper Kupp to Davante Adams to pair with Puka Nacua. If LA and Philadelphia meet up in the playoffs, the Rams may just have enough power to knock the Eagles out.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers and Eagles have a little bit of a rivalry that isn’t talked about a whole lot. Tampa Bay matches up with against Philly but the Eagles have the better overall roster.
The Bucs kicked off the NFL’s legal tampering period by agreeing to terms with former Eagle, Haason Reddick to a one-year deal. In addition, they managed to bring back wideout Chris Godwin to keep the trio of him, Mike Evans, and Baker Mayfield for atleast one more season.
In a terrible NFC South division, the Bucs should be the favorite meaning that they would have a great chance at seeing the Eagles in the playoffs. Just two seasons ago, the Bucs surprisingly knocked out the Eagles in the first round. Whose to say it would’t happen again?
Detroit Lions
I mean, not having the Detroit Lions on this list would be absolutely ridiculous. It’s quite surprising that these two teams didn’t meet up in last year’s playoffs but things happen, I guess. The Lions have a very talented roster and even though they are going to have new coordinators this upcoming season, it’s super hard not to list them as a team that could take down the Eagles.
Detroit lost some pieces, but they also added some in free agency, like D.J. Reed who is a talented corner that will replace Carlton Davis. Either way, as long as the continuity on the offense is in place, the Lions’ offense alone poses as a big threat to the Eagles.
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