NFC Playoffs: Eagles will host one of three teams in the Wild Card round

The Eagles’ Wild Card path finally came into focus Monday night, and it all started with the Los Angeles Rams doing Philadelphia a favor by losing to the Falcons.

That result locked the Birds into hosting a playoff game at the Linc and narrowed their potential first-round opponents down to three teams: the Rams, the 49ers, or the Packers. Now it’s just a matter of how Week 18 shakes out.

The cleanest and most Eagles-friendly scenario involves taking care of business against Washington while also getting a little help from Detroit against Chicago.

If that happens, the Eagles slide into the No. 2 seed and would host Green Bay in the Wild Card round for the second straight year.

That matchup would be hard to complain about. The Eagles already beat the Packers earlier this season, and Green Bay would likely limp into the playoffs after losing Micah Parsons and potentially finishing on a four-game skid if they can’t beat Minnesota.

It’s also worth noting that the Eagles don’t necessarily need to go all-out to beat Washington, though the safest approach is obviously to play starters and make sure nothing weird happens.

Eagles Playoff Scenarios Heading Into Week 18

#Eagles playoff scenarios going into Week 18.

PHI win + CHI loss ➡️ (7) GB @ (2) PHI

otherwise ➡️ (6) SF/LAR @ (3) PHI

(Eagles can no longer play SEA, who just clinched at least the 5 seed with the LAR loss to ATL.) pic.twitter.com/saX95oAh06

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) December 30, 2025

If the Eagles don’t get help from the Lions, things get more interesting. In that case, they’ll be hosting either the Rams or the 49ers. The 49ers-Seahawks game on Saturday night plays a huge role here.

If San Francisco wins, they lock up the No. 1 seed and a bye, which would push the Rams into Philly. If the 49ers lose and the Rams beat Arizona, then the Niners would be the team heading east to the Linc.

The Rams situation is especially fascinating because Sean McVay has shown before that he’s perfectly willing to sacrifice seeding to rest his guys. With the Rams playing after the 49ers-Seahawks game, they’ll know exactly what’s at stake.

Even if McVay does rest starters, though, there’s still a decent chance their backups could handle Jonathan Gannon’s Cardinals. The Rams are heavy favorites for a reason.

Impact of #Eagles' own game on matchup odds…

with Eagles WIN:
42.6% : (7) GB @ (2) PHI
33.5% : (6) LAR @ (3) PHI
23.9% : (6) SF @ (3) PHI

with Eagles LOSS:
58.3% : (6) LAR @ (3) PHI
41.7% : (6) SF @ (3) PHI

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) December 30, 2025

As for who the Eagles should want, the Packers are clearly the preferred option.

The real debate is Rams versus 49ers. Philly has largely owned the Rams in the McVay era, but let’s not forget how close that Week 3 game was, or how close the Rams came to knocking the Eagles out in last year’s playoffs.

On the other hand, the 49ers are banged up, have benefited from a softer schedule, and yet are playing their best football at the right time with Brock Purdy heating up.

No matter how it shakes out, the Eagles will be hosting a dangerous team in the Wild Card round. The only real question now is which NFC West headache, or familiar Green Bay opponent, will be walking into Lincoln Financial Field.

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