Philadelphia Eagles playoff scenarios: Nick Sirianni’s team has clear but difficult path to NFC’s No. 2 seed

Check out the potential outcomes for Philly’s seeding in the NFC.

Adam Holt — NFL News Writer
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Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The NFC is quite the battle at the top. For the Philadelphia Eagles, the outcomes in Week 16 were a mixed bag of positives and negatives when it comes to their playoff outlook. All eighteen weeks will matter for Nick Sirianni’s squad as they finish the regular season.

Eagles already clinched NFC East title for second straight season

With their victory over the Commanders in Week 16, the Eagles won’t have to worry about their own division any longer. They have locked up a playoff berth and won the NFC East for the second season in a row, breaking its two decade trend of never having a repeat division winner.

Accordingly, Philly is set to have a top four seed in the conference for the postseason, but they want to continue climbing those ranks. With the division crown, they also guarantee at least one home playoff game for their postseason run.

NFC seeding scenarios for the Eagles following Week 16 action

There is no way for the Eagles to reach the top overall seed in the NFC, unfortunately. That opportunity is officially over due to the success of other teams around the league.

The best seed that Philadelphia can clinch in the coming weeks will be the No. 2 overall seed for the conference. Why does that matter? The No. 2 seed avoids the top-seeded NFC team until the Conference Championship. That path to the Super Bowl is easier on paper.

In order to earn the No. 2 seed, the Eagles must win out and have the Chicago Bears lose out (games vs. SF, DET).

If the Eagles win out (finish 12-5), the worst possible landing spot for them would be the No.3 seed. They would have surpassed whoever finishes at No. 4 in the conference by that point.

Outside of these scenarios, the situation remains fairly fluid for Philadelphia. Their seeding will be determined, at least partly, with how they finish the season. While they cannot boast the top seed, grabbing at least the No. 2 seed would be an impressive finish consider the hiccups throughout this season for the team.

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