What could the Eagles' path to the Super Bowl look like?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles have punched their ticket into the Divisional Round thanks to earning the No. 1 seed and getting a first-round bye. Philadelphia's opponent remains unknown.
The Birds will play the lowest seed that advances out of the NFC from Wild Card Weekend.
But, if the Eagles make a run to the Super Bowl as they did during the 2017-18 season, what could the path look like?
Let's take a look at the Eagles' hypothetical path to potentially earning the team's second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
Wild Card Round
While the Eagles' opponent for the Divisional Round is still unclear, they'll play one of these four teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.
We might as well count out the Seahawks, who are playing the red-hot San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
The Giants nearly beat the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve, and they have the advantage at head coach in Brian Daboll, but the Purple People Eaters will sneak out of their home arena with a win once again.
The marquee matchup of the Wild Card slate falls Monday night between the Cowboys and Buccaneers.
Dallas has been up and down over the past month, and Dak Prescott's interceptions have been adding up, but the Cowboys should be able to knock out the Buccaneers on the road.
If that happens, it sets up an Eagles-Cowboys Divisional Round at Lincoln Financial Field.
NFC Wild Card weekend predictions:
- 49ers 28, Seahawks 10
- Vikings 24, Giants 17
- Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 20
Divisional Round
The Eagles and Cowboys have played each other four times in the playoffs. Philadelphia is 1-3 in those games.
In the two team's last postseason game, the Cowboys defeated the Eagles, 34-14, in the Wild Card weekend in the 2009 playoffs in a contest where Tony Romo tossed two touchdowns.
The Eagles' lone win happened in 1980 in the NFC Conference Championship game before they lost to the then-Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.
If a Cowboys-Eagles matchup happens in the Divisional Round, the NFL would probably be ecstatic. It would make for great theater for the Eagles to host the Cowboys in their first home playoff game since the 2019 season.
The game would be the first one this season where the two teams have their starting quarterbacks under center.
They split during the regular season, but the Linc will be rocking if the Cowboys have to travel to Philadelphia, which should give the Birds all the advantage they need in the Divisional Round to come away with a win.
NFC Divisional Round predictions:
- Eagles 27, Cowboys 24
- 49ers 35, Vikings 20
NFC Championship game
There's been plenty of NFC Championship game let-downs in Philadelphia, particularly during the early Andy Reid years.
Losing to the 49ers, led by Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy, would certainly fall right into that category.
The seventh-round rookie quarterback has played well, but competing in a playoff atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field is a whole different animal. It would be the biggest test of Purdy's young career.
The Eagles' offense will also be tested by San Francisco's defense – one of the best in the NFL.
If the Eagles make it this far, Jalen Hurts should theoretically be healthier after suffering a shoulder sprain against the Bears in December.
But the biggest matchup will be in the trenches between Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata vs. Nick Bosa.
Johnson's health will be a key factor in this matchup. He's elected to skip surgery on an abdominal injury and will try to give it a go in the Divisional Round.
If he's healthy, there's a good chance the Eagles are NFC champs for the first time since the 2017 season and earn a Super Bowl berth.
NFC Championship prediction:
- Eagles 23, 49ers 20
Super Bowl
We've made it to February. The stage is set and the Super Bowl, the biggest game of the year, is upon us with the Eagles participating in it for the second time in the past five years.
But who will they be playing? How about the coach with the most wins in franchise history?
That's right.
A Super Bowl featuring Reid's Kansas City Chiefs and the Eagles would be the best matchup possible: two explosive offenses, gutsy innovative head coaches and the top two MVP candidates. What more could you ask for in the best game of the year?
The Chiefs and Eagles met last season in a shootout – 42-30 – that Philadelphia lost.
Philadelphia's has only gotten better since then with the addition of A.J. Brown and Hurts' development, while the Chiefs have lost Tyreek Hill.
Kansas City has still been a machine of an offense this season with Patrick Mahomes, the betting favorite to win MVP, leading the way under the guidance of Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
But as much as the Eagles have improved this season, they most likely fall to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl against their former head coach.
Super Bowl prediction:
- Chiefs 34, Eagles 31