Ranking NFC teams that could ruin Eagles Super Bowl return. Why they want to avoid this foe

PHILADELPHIA − There shouldn't be any doubt that the Eagles are the best team in the NFL after beating the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.

The Eagles' 21-17 win might not have been the prettiest, but style points don't matter. Wins do.

To that end, the Eagles are 9-1, the only one-loss team in the NFL heading into their game Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

But they have several worthy challengers eager to unseat the reigning NFC champions, or at least take over the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

At the top of the list are the Detroit Lions, who are 8-2 heading into their Thanksgiving Day game against the Packers. The Eagles don't play the Lions this season, but they will face other top teams in the upcoming weeks in the Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys again, then Seattle Seahawks.

To demonstrate how vulnerable the Eagles are, they have a point differential of plus-61. The Cowboys (127), 49ers (122) and Baltimore Ravens (127) have more than doubled that. The Bills are at 104.

"I really think we play smart football at the end of games," center Jason Kelce said after the win over the Chiefs. "That’s when we play our best, and that’s a big reason why we have closed out a lot of close games."

Can they keep doing it all the way to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Feb. 11? Well, if history is any indication, the answer should be yes. The Eagles have started out 9-1 six other times in franchise history. In every other case, the Eagles have reached the Super Bowl or before that era, the NFL championship game.

Those years were 1949 (won NFL championship), 1960 (won NFL championship), 1980 (lost Super Bowl), 2004 (lost Super Bowl), 2017 (won Super Bowl), and 2022 (lost Super Bowl).

Here, then, are the top 8 NFC teams who can ruin the Eagles' quest to return to the Super Bowl, ranked in order of lowest probability to highest:

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8. Atlanta Falcons (4-6)

The only reason Atlanta has a chance for a postseason berth is that it plays in the weak NFC South. The Falcons are a game behind the division-leading Saints. But they're fading fast, having lost four of their last five. They're also 1-4 on the road. If the Falcons make it as a division winner, they'll have to win a wildcard round game before heading to Philly for a divisional round game.

Chance of upset: None

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-5)

Kudos to the Vikings for putting together a four-game winning streak mostly without quarterback Kirk Cousins and star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. But the Joshua Dobbs magic wore off Sunday in the Vikings' loss to the Denver Broncos. Even with Jefferson back for the postseason, it's hard to see Dobbs surviving the onslaught from the Eagles' defensive line.

Chance of upset: None

6. New Orleans Saints (5-5)

The NFC South leaders are not very imposing on offense or defense. In other words, they're mediocre, beginning with quarterback Derek Carr. And that won't cut it in the postseason.

Chance of upset: 10%

5. Seattle Seahawks (6-4)

Seattle was already inconsistent before injuries to quarterback Geno Smith and running back Kenneth Walker. Smith might play Thursday night, but Walker could miss some time with an oblique. Even if both are healthy within a few weeks or so, the Seahawks will likely have to claw their way to a playoff spot. And then to upset the Eagles seems like too tall of an order.

Chance of upset: 15%

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

Any team with a pair of wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin is dangerous enough to pull an upset, especially if Baker Mayfield can play well. And on defense, head coach Todd Bowles seems to always have an answer for Jalen Hurts. But the Eagles mostly dominated the Bucs 25-11 earlier this season. The Bucs should win the NFC South, but they won't have enough to win at the Linc.

Chance of upset: 20%

3. Detroit Lions (8-2)

The Lions are a nice story. But their main issue is they don't have much of a pass rush, ranking 28th in sacks. That should give Hurts plenty of time to find a receiver. The Lions also lost 38-6 to the Baltimore Ravens, and should have lost last Sunday to the woeful Chicago Bears. They're not quite ready, especially in a playoff road game.

Chance of upset: 25%

2. San Francisco 49ers (7-3)

The 49ers would certainly relish a rematch of the NFC Championship game, believing that a full game with quarterback Brock Purdy would yield a better result than the 31-7 loss they suffered last January when Purdy suffered an elbow injury and couldn't throw. Purdy had a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the 49ers win over the Buccaneers on Sunday, and 148.9 rating the week before. He also had a 77.9 rating with 5 INTs during the 49ers three-game losing streak that preceded the last two games. We'll get a preview of which Purdy to expect on Dec. 3 when the 49ers return to the Linc.

Chances of upset: 30%

1. Dallas Cowboys (7-3)

On the one hand, the Cowboys always seem to find a way to blow a playoff game as the Eagles saw Nov. 5 when Dallas had two chances to win in the final two minutes. On the other, the Cowboys are the most complete NFC team other than the Eagles because of quarterback Dak Prescott and a deep defensive line led by Micah Parsons. This would be an epic NFC Championship game, but the slight edge would go to the Eagles at home.

Chance of upset: 40%

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ranking 8 NFC teams that could ruin Eagles Super Bowl return