Considering the way this season’s gone, there’s no harm in looking ahead.
So every week from here on out, we’ll track the Eagles’ draft position to give you an idea of where they might be picking in the first round.
There’s currently a grand total of TWO teams in the entire league with fewer wins than the Eagles. The Chiefs are 1-10, and the Jaguars are 2-9. Three other teams – the Panthers, Browns and Raiders – are tied with the Eagles with three wins. The tiebreaker among teams with the same record is strength of schedule. The team with the easiest strength of schedule picks higher.
Here’s a look:
| Opponent Wins | Opponent Losses | Opponent SOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 80 | 96 | .455 |
| Browns | 89 | 87 | .506 |
| Eagles | 90 | 86 | .511 |
| Panthers | 92 | 84 | .523 |
The Raiders have the easiest schedule, so they would pick third, followed by the Browns (fourth), Eagles (fifth) and Panthers (sixth).
This should also give you an idea of which teams to root for going forward. Eagles fans want victories by Oakland, Cleveland, Carolina and Jacksonville. Even Kansas City, although that might be getting greedy.
In terms of remaining schedule, the Eagles have the toughest road ahead of any of the 3-8 teams. Their opponents in the final five weeks have a higher winning percentage (.527) than Oakland (.345), Carolina (.418) or Cleveland (.418). In other words, statistically speaking, the Eagles will have a tougher time picking up wins down the stretch than their counterparts.
The Browns and Raiders have to play each other (this week). The Panthers and Raiders meet in Week 16. Carolina, Oakland and Cleveland all still have to face the 1-10 Chiefs. In other words, someone’s got to win those games.
Normally, at this time of year, we’re working on playoff scenarios. But times have changed, so we’ll bring you the updated draft watch every Tuesday the rest of the way.
Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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