Week 6 non-Eagles rooting guide

Post author:Author
Post published:October 13, 2024
Post category:Sports

Each week 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.

NFC East

• Lions at Cowboys: If the Eagles were 4-0 or 3-1, there’d maybe be an argument that the Cowboys would be a more ideal winner in this game, not the Lions. The Lions are a bigger threat in the NFC than the Cowboys, and having a first-round bye in the playoffs is kind of a big deal. However, the Eagles don’t look like they’re among the cream of the crop in the NFC at the moment, and winning the division feels like a much more reasonable achievement on the wish list than the 1 seed. And so, with where the Eagles are right now, a Cowboys loss is more ideal.

• Commanders at Ravens: If this Commanders team is able to beat the tried-and-true Ravens on the road, the NFL world is going to have to start taking them seriously as a Super Bowl contender.

• Bengals at Giants: The Giants aren’t a good team, but they have a couple of road wins and appear to at least be better than the NFL’s trash (the Panthers, Browns, Patriots, etc.). They’ll win some more games this year, and likely won’t be in contention for a top 5 pick that could be used on a franchise quarterback, so you can probably feel OK about rooting for them to lose.

NFC vs. NFC

• Buccaneers at Saints: Todd Bowles and the Bucs have consistently proven that they have answers for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense, so it’s more ideal if the Saints or Falcons win that division.

• Falcons at Panthers: See above.

• Cardinals at Packers: As long as we’re on the NFC West here with the Cardinals, let’s quickly note that the 49ers beat the Seahawks on Thursday night. That division now looks like this:

NFC West	Record	Div record
49ers	3-3	1-2
Seahawks	3-3	0-1
Cardinals	2-3	2-0
Rams	1-4	1-1

So after the Niners’ terrible vibes all offseason, a bunch of injuries to their best players, and a few bad losses to start the 2024 season, they’re still currently in first place in the NFC West.

The Cardinals aren’t really a threat to win that division, but it’s ideal if they beat the Packers, who in my opinion look like Super Bowl contenders after staying alive despite missing Jordan Love for two games.

NFC vs. AFC

• Jaguars at Bears: Should the Eagles win the NFC East and have to play a wildcard team in the first round of the playoffs, the Bears would be an ideal opponent.