Previewing Philadelphia Eagles' Christmas Day Matchup with Raiders

The Philadelphia Eagles will have to wait until Christmas night, but they have the opportunity to give themselves the best gift imaginable after Monday's matchup with the Oakland Raiders.

With a victory at home over Oakland, the Eagles will clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with one week to spare. Philly's magnificent season thus far has earned them the NFC East championship early on, and one more victory ensures they'll have at least two weeks before another meaningful football game to rest up.

While the Eagles' 12-2 record indicates a team without much weakness, Philly has taken some lumps over the course of the season with injuries and inconsistent play from some positions. A Minnesota loss in Week 17 could deem this game insignificant, but the Eagles can still use it to shore up weaknesses and re-calibrate before a deep playoff run.

Let's take a closer look into Monday night's 8:30 p.m. ET affair on Christmas Day with the Oakland Raiders.

Which Oakland Team Will Show Up?

Ben Margot/Associated Press

An Eagles-Raiders prime-time affair for the last Monday Night Football game of the season jumped off the page throughout the early stretches of the season. This game having severe playoff implications on both sides seemed almost inevitable, and thinking of it as a potential Super Bowl preview wasn't out of the question.

The Eagles held up their end of the deal to make that happen. Oakland, however, is a different story.

Mired in a 6-8 record, the Raiders were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. Realistically, Oakland's chances of sneaking into the postseason were dashed when quarterback Derek Carr fumbled into the end zone in a last-minute loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. 

What will the Raiders' intensity level be after realizing their playoff hopes are dashed? Just a day after learning all of the preseason hype and Super Bowl predictions were for naught, they have a holiday game on national television to play against a team that has the NFL's best record.

Any NFL team and its players are playing for their jobs each and every week, but the Raiders have let emotions and anger get the best of them at times this season. It wouldn't be surprising if that made an impact in Monday night's game.

Importance of Locking Up the No. 1 Seed

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

It goes without saying that securing as many home games as possible in the postseason is huge for any team, but the Eagles have to recognize just how critical it is for them to lock up the No. 1 seed if they want to have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. 

Philly posted a strong 6-2 record on the road this season, but most of those wins were orchestrated by Carson Wentz's heroics. Incumbent quarterback Nick Foles is proving capable, but having to go through Minnesota's nasty defense on the road could be too tall of a task for him.

The Eagles can still clinch the No. 1 seed next week, but they may be in trouble if they don't take care of business Monday. Minnesota faces the hapless Chicago Bears in Week 17, which could be an easy win for the Vikings. Meanwhile, Philadelphia hosts a Dallas Cowboys team that has been eliminated from the playoffs but may want to prove they'll be coming for the Eagles in 2018.

Playing at home will give this Eagles team the best opportunity to mask their deficiencies and home in on their strengths. If they let an opportunity to lock that up Monday slip away, they may end up regretting it late in January.

Christmas Miracle Needed on Defense

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Eagles couldn't be expected to carry on their defensive dominance through the entire season. At the same time, they can ill afford to let that strength slip away as they inch toward the playoffs.

Philly's defense has fallen on hard times over the last three games, in stark contrast to the first 11 contests. Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post uncovered an eye-popping statistic that the Eagles are allowing 2.4 points per drive in Week 13-15, as opposed to just 1.4 points per drive over Weeks 1 through 12.

A drop-off could be seen as inevitable when the Eagles faced the potent offenses of the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in back-to-back weeks, but continued issues versus a virtually inept New York Giants offense produced plenty of concern. The same-old issues in pass coverage are cropping up like they have in recent seasons, only this time it comes with the Eagles contending for the NFC's best record.

The Raiders may be deflated after being eliminated from the playoffs, but quarterback Derek Carr still has the skill and weaponry on offense to put up big numbers. If he does so Monday night, alarms will sound all across Philadelphia regardless of the game's result.

Offensive Players to Watch

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Nick Foles

Foles began his tour of duty as the Eagles' starter in magnificent fashion with four touchdowns against the New York Giants in Week 15. But one performance against a 2-13 team shouldn't have Eagles fans preparing for Foles as a Super Bowl MVP.

The 28-year-old has given plenty of indication that he's capable of leading Philly on a deep run, but he needs to take advantage of every game opportunity before the postseason. Going up against a Raiders secondary that has allowed 20 touchdowns and only produced four interceptions, Foles should be ready to air it out.

The last time Foles played against the Raiders, he tied a single-game NFL record with seven touchdown passes. It would only take two or three to encourage more optimism from Eagles fans heading into January.

Jay Ajayi

The Eagles have taken their time acclimating Jay Ajayi into the offense, and rightfully so. He joined a rushing attack midseason that has rated among the best units in the league.

However, Ajayi is slowly beginning to see his workload increase ahead of LeGarrette Blount and the rest of the running backs. His only two games with double-digit carries have come in the last two weeks, while Blount has seen his role shrink.

The Raiders have their issues on defense, but they come in with a top-10 rushing defense. As long as Oakland plays inspired, Ajayi will have his work cut out for him in proving that he's the top back going into the postseason.

Defensive Players to Watch

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Ronald Darby

To Ronald Darby's credit, his Week 1 ankle injury threw everything off as he lost valuable time to get comfortable in the defense. But the player who began the season as the team's No. 1 cornerback has been a shell of himself since returning from that injury.

Darby allowed six catches for 139 yards and a touchdown against the Giants last week, and let's not forget that the Giants' current receiving unit is arguably the least proven in the league without Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. According to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ Advance Media, Darby partook in some heated exchanges with Eagles fans on Twitter that he's since deleted. 

Cornerback is the one position where a struggling player is most likely to get exposed, and a player on a 12-2 team letting tensions come to a boil off the field with fans is a bad look. Darby needs to get his act together on and off the field if he wants to be a part of the Eagles' run down the stretch.

Nigel Bradham

As we transition from the current weak spot of the Eagles defense to a strength, linebacker Nigel Bradham just continues to put his fingerprints all over his defense.

Bradham has been spectacular ever since taking over middle linebacker duties from the injured Jordan Hicks, posting his second game of the season with double-digit tackles last week against New York. A lack of depth at linebacker has meant Bradham is often one of just two linebackers on the field, but he's still been everywhere.

Of course, Bradham's durability is being tested as he's had to play virtually every snap of every game. If the Eagles can get out to a big lead, perhaps they can get Bradham some much-needed rest.

Prediction

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Eagles may be sitting on the NFL's best record off two straight wins, but they'll still come into this Christmas night affair feeling like they have something to prove. 

Foles has begun to win some supporters, but there remains considerable hesitancy over the Eagles' chances of making a Super Bowl run. Philly's defense will be intent on proving that they can dominate a game, and the Raiders should have no match for their intensity on that side of the ball. 

Oakland has been riding waves of emotion all season, and it's inevitable that the Raiders will be on an emotional low after seeing their playoff hopes crushed. Carr's gutsy play in the pocket should allow the passing game to put up some points, but Marshawn Lynch will have no holes to run through as the Eagles defensive line dominates up front.

Expect Foles to find his comfort zone going up against the Raiders secondary and lock up home-field advantage on Christmas night for Philly.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Raiders 17