Coming off back-to-back blowout losses, with their defensive coordinator demoted and their star quarterback under the weather, the Eagles clinched a playoff berth Sunday without playing a snap.
The 49ers’ 45-29 win over the Cards in Glendale, Ariz., locked up at worst a wild-card berth for the Eagles in this year’s postseason.
Nick Sirianni becomes the first coach in franchise history to lead the Eagles to the postseason in each of his first three seasons. The Eagles reached the playoffs in Ray Rhodes’ first two seasons – 1995 and 1996.
The only teams to reach the playoffs in 2021 and 2022 are the Eagles, Bengals, Chiefs, 49ers, Bills, Buccaneers and Cowboys. The 49ers have already clinched a playoff berth. All the others have a chance to reach the playoffs again in 2023.
This becomes the sixth time in seven years the Eagles are in the postseason. Since 2000, they’ve been in the playoffs 17 times in 24 years. Only the Patriots (18 times) have reached the postseason more. The Packers have also been a playoff team 17 times since 2000, and the Colts and Seahawks are at 16 with a chance for 17 this year.
Going back farther – to 1988 – the Eagles have been a playoff team an NFL-high 22 times in a 36-year span. The Packers and Patriots have also reached the playoffs 22 times during that span. The Patriots have been eliminated this year and the Packers are 6-8.
The Eagles take a 10-3 record into their game Monday night in Seattle. If they win their last four games – Seahawks, Giants home on Christmas Day, Cards at home on New Year’s Eve and Giants in East Rutherford Jan. 7 – they’ll win the NFC East and be at worst the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
If the Eagles win out and the 49ers lose a game – they’re 11-3 and finish with the 10-3 Ravens in Santa Clara on Christmas Night, the Commanders in Landover on New Year’s Eve and the Rams in Santa Clara on Jan. 7 – the Eagles would become the No. 1 seed. In that scenario, they would be 14-3 and the 49ers would be 13-4.
