The stage is set for the Eagles to determine if they are a playoff team or not over the next three weeks.

Two of the teams that sit ahead of the Eagles in the NFC East are on their schedule, but first, they will need to take care of business this Sunday against the New York Giants.

If they are able to knock off New York, they’ll host the Washington Redskins, who lost to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, with just one game separating the two teams. Then in Week 14, they’ll head to Dallas to face the Cowboys, who beat them in Philadelphia two weeks ago.

Though the Eagles have done nothing to suggest they are better then these teams, all three are winnable games. For this conversation to matter at all, the Eagles must beat the Giants. A win over big blue would put them at 5-6, just one game behind both Dallas and Washington, who both sit at 6-5.

Washington final five games:

at Philadelphia
vs New York Giants
at Jacksonville
at Tennessee
vs Philadelphia

Dallas final five game:

vs Saints
vs Eagles
at Colts
vs Buccaneers
at Giants

After this three game NFC East stretch, the Eagles schedule remains difficult, with a trip to LA to face the Rams, and a home date with the AFC South leading Houston Texans, before closing out the season in Washington.

So even though the season has not gone the way many fans had hoped, the Eagles schedule breaks well for them. Four of their final six games will be against NFC East foes. If the Eagles can win those three games, that would get them to eight wins, they would need to steal a game against LA or Houston to get them to nine with, and beat both of them to get to 10 wins.

Ten wins would most likely win them the division, but could also get them in to the postseason. Nine might get them the east, but most likely would not allow them to get a wild card berth.

Bottom line, take care of business in the NFC East and a playoff berth is a strong possibility. Lose any of those four games, including this Sunday vs New York, and the Eagles most likely going to be home watching the playoffs this January.

Here are a few thoughts going into the game with ESPN Sr. NFL insider KC Joyner:

 

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