Who Should The Eagles Want To Face In The Wild Card Round?

The Eagles finished the job on Sunday with their playoff seed. Which opponent would be preferable in the wild card round?

The Philadelphia Eagles locked up the division and number two seed in the NFC with their decimation of the Dallas Cowboys. Now, outside of a potential rushing record for Saquon Barkley, it’s time for full-scale preparation for the playoffs. Currently, the Eagles have the chance to face either the Washington Commanders or the Green Bay Packers at home in the Wild Card Round. Both teams the birds have experience with. After a full season, how does the team stack up against these opponents?

Washington Commanders

It would certainly be a fun clash if these teams met up for a third time in January. They’ve played through their two division matchups with an even 1-1 split. Both teams have shown spans of dominance over the course of this year. Much of that is because of the x-factors the teams have on the roster this year that weren’t in years past.

The aforementioned Barkley has been a revelation for the Eagles’ offense since signing with the team. He’s an MVP candidate who carried the team on his back for much of the 10-game win streak. He also has a chance to set NFL history by breaking the single-season rushing record against the New York Giants.

For the Commanders, Jayden Daniels has been a game-changer. He’s become the franchise’s heart and soul for a team that has struggled to find a long-term quarterback since the departure of Kirk Cousins. He’s a lead candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year and looks to lead the organization for years to come.

When it comes to the rosters as a whole, they are neck and neck offensively with Washington being ranked fourth and Philly being ranked fifth. Washington has a significant advantage in the passing game ranking 16th where the Eagles rank 30th. However, off of Barkley’s historic campaign, the Birds have the number-one rushing attack in the league. The Eagles also have the advantage defensively ranking 1st in the league in total defense.

Green Bay Packers

This is the other potentially intriguing Wild Card Round matchup. These teams faced off in Week 1 for a historic opener in Brazil. The Eagles squeaked out the win in a thrilling 34-29 bout. This was a game where the stars came to play as players on both sides like Barkley, A.J. Brown, Jordan Love, and Jayden Reed.

Offensively, the Eagles edge out the Packers barely as the latter is sixth in the league in total offense. Green Bay also isn’t too shabby in the run game ranking fifth overall. Much of this is off the legs of coveted free agent pickup Josh Jacobs.

The Packers are also better than both Philly and Washington in the passing game ranking 12th. They are also eighth defensively which is one spot above Washington in total defense.

The Takeaway

Both teams would be intriguing and difficult matchups for the Birds in the first round, but the Commanders possibly have the edge. These teams have more familiarity with each other’s strengths and weaknesses being division rivals. Also, The Commanders tend to play gutsy and tough against Philly. Three of their last four matchups have ended with both teams scoring 30 or more points.