NFL playoff picture: Eagles create cushion atop the NFC East by beating Commanders

The Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday night was pretty big for the Birds’ playoff outlook.

The Eagles took a 1.5-game lead in the division with seven games left to play.

Eagles’ remaining schedule
Week 12 — at Los Angeles Rams
Week 13 — at Baltimore Ravens
Week 14 — vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 15 — vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 16 — at Washington Commanders
Week 17 — vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 18 — vs. New York Giants

The cushion the Eagles just built up could come in handy with some tough battles on the horizon.

The Rams can be dangerous, though they did just lose to the Miami Dolphins at home. The Ravens are obviously imposing with MVP front-runners Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry powering their offense. The Steelers can’t be slept on; they’re undefeated with Russell Wilson starting.

It’ll be pretty interesting to see how things go over the next four weeks before the Eagles’ rematch with the Commanders. The Birds will lock up a head-to-head tiebreaker if they can beat Washington again. And that might come in handy since the Commanders’ remaining schedule isn’t looking super difficult. On that note …

Commanders’ remaining schedule
Week 12 — vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 13 — vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 14 — BYE
Week 15 — at New Orleans Saints
Week 16 — vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 17 — vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 18 — at Dallas Cowboys

The Commanders will likely be favored in at least four of these six games. And they do have the chance to catch their breath with a late bye. Marshon Lattimore getting healthy could be a big boost for their defense.

Then again, perhaps Washington is on a slide. They’ve lost their last two games with Daniels looking the worst he has this season. Kliff Kingsbury offenses tend to start seasons hot before fizzling out later in the year.

Of course, the Eagles can’t merely count on the Commanders fading. And, really, they should be aiming higher than the division lead …

Lions’ remaining schedule
Week 11 — vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 12 — at Indianapolis Colts
Week 13 — vs. Chicago Bears
Week 14 — vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 15 — vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 16 — at Chicago Bears
Week 17 — at San Francisco 49ers
Week 18 — vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Lions clearly have very winnable games coming up next. But then things start to get a bit more difficult down the stretch.

Detroit currently sits atop the NFC playoff picture with an 8-1 record. At this rate, the Eagles might be able to catch them to get a first-round bye.