NFL playoff picture: Eagles fail to clinch against 49ers, one team eliminated

The Eagles entered Sunday poised to become the first NFL team to clinch a playoff spot. But they’ll have to wait until next week after their 42-19 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers at the Linc.

At 10-2, the Birds are still all but guaranteed to land a spot in the playoffs. Since the NFL expanded to a 12-team playoff format in 1990, only 12 teams have reached the 10-win mark and not made the playoffs, most recently the 10-6 Miami Dolphins in 2020. It’s actually happened twice to the Eagles, who didn’t reach the postseason after going 10-6 in 2014 and 1991.

Securing a playoff spot is nice, but the Eagles’ real goals are winning the NFC East and securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed, which ensures a first-round bye and home-field advantage at the Linc throughout the playoffs.

The Eagles are now just a half game up on the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East ahead of their all-important rematch this coming Sunday on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The Eagles won their first matchup against the Cowboys on Nov. 5, but Sunday’s loss to the 49ers sets up a scenario where the Cowboys could slide into first place on a tiebreaker with a win.

If the Eagles defeat the Cowboys, they’ll clinch a playoff spot and have a two game lead the NFC East with just four games remaining, as well as hold tiebreaker over Dallas.

Despite Sunday’s loss, the Eagles still have a one-game lead over both the 49ers and Detroit Lions (9-3) in the race for the NFC’s top playoff spot.

The Atlanta Falcons (6-6) moved into sole ownership of first place in the NFC South by defeating the New York Jets (4-8), and Week 13 could end with three teams — Minnesota Vikings (6-6), Seattle Seahawks (6-6), Los Angeles Rams (6-6), and Green Bay Packers (5-6) — all vying for the NFC’s final two wild card spots.

The Carolina Panthers (1-11), who fired head coach Frank Reich last week, became the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention thanks to their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7).

The Arizona Cardinals (3-10) entered Sunday facing playoff elimination, but defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) in a game delayed more than an hour by the weather.

The most interesting matchup of the day from a playoff perspective involved the bottom half of the AFC standings.

The Houston Texans (7-5) defeated the Denver Broncos (6-6), ending Denver’s five-game winning streak. C.J. Stroud and company are now just 1½ games back from AFC South leading Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3), who will face the Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) on Monday Night Football.

The New England Patriots (2-10) also entered Sunday facing elimination from the playoffs. Despite losing a dreadful game at home against the Los Angeles Chargers (5-7), the Patriots remain mathematically alive for at least another week thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) and Cleveland Browns (7-5) both losing.

The NFL playoffs begin with the wild-card round, with the first game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Jan. 13 on NBC.

There are six wild-card games that will air on Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. The new wrinkle this year is one wild-card game will stream exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s subscription service.

Bye: Ravens (9-3), Bills (6-6), Bears (4-8), Raiders (5-7), Vikings (6-6), Giants (4-8)