Eagles' Rooting Guide for 2021 NFL Draft Implications of Week 14

Even at 3-8-1, the Philadelphia Eagles have an outside shot at making the postseason. However, they'll need a lot of help, as the 5-7 Washington Football Team and the 5-7 New York Giants currently sit atop the NFC East.

Realistically, it's time for the Eagles to focus more on their future. The team has announced that Jalen Hurts will start over Carson Wentz this week against the New Orleans Saints.

"We're not where we want to be as an offense," coach Doug Pederson said Tuesday.

Over the final month, Philadelphia needs to determine if Hurts can get the offense where it needs to be and/or if Wentz can get back on track and return to being the Eagles' franchise quarterback.

Financially, Philadelphia is heavily tied to Wentz for at least another season—so targeting a signal-caller in the 2021 draft may not be a realistic goal. However, there are some prospects who could help Wentz return to form, such as Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell or LSU wideout Ja'Marr Chase. It may require a top-five selection to land such a prospect, but the Eagles have a shot at earning one.

Philadelphia currently sits in the No. 6 spot for the 2021 draft. Here, we'll examine where Eagles fans should put their Week 14 rooting interests if they're hoping to see the team maintain that spot or even move into the top five.

First, let's examine the order at the top of Round 1.

Current Top-10 Draft Order

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

1. New York Jets (0-12)

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1)

4. Dallas Cowboys (3-9)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (3-9)

6. Philadelphia Eagles (3-8-1)

7. Carolina Panthers (4-8)

8. Atlanta Falcons (4-8)

9. Miami Dolphins (from Houston, 4-8)

10. Denver Broncos (4-8)

*from Tankathon

Teams Below Philadelphia

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

If the Eagles don't want to drop in the draft order, their first step will be losing to the Saints this weekend. They'll next want the four teams nipping at their heels—the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos—to win. Houston's pick belongs to the Miami Dolphins.

Houston Texans at Chicago Bears (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS)

The Texans can potentially deliver a top-five selection to Miami by losing out. The Eagles should hope that doesn't happen and that Houston kicks off the final month with a win over the Chicago Bears.

This is a very winnable game for the Texans, as the Bears have been wildly inefficient on offense as of late. Mitchell Trubisky returned to the starting lineup in Week 12, but the results have largely been the same as they were with Nick Foles under center.

This is to say that the Bears have struggled to put points on the board. Chicago ranks 28th in scoring, hasn't won a game since Week 6 and would need a miracle to make a playoff push. The Bears defense can be a challenge for the Texans, but the Philadelphia faithful can hope for some Deshaun Watson magic in this one.

Rooting Interest: Go Texans!

Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS)

This game's an odd one for Eagles fans hoping to maintain draft positioning. Both the Broncos and the Panthers sit a half-game back in the draft order. One of them is going to leapfrog the Eagles if Philadelphia pulls off an upset against New Orleans—unless, of course, we have a tie here.

Is it unlikely? Sure it is, but Philadelphia knows first-hand that ties exist in the NFL. The Eagles "earned" one with the Cincinnati Bengals back in Week 3. For a while, that tie gave Philadelphia the edge in the NFC East. In terms of draft positioning, a loss would have been better.

Carolina probably has the edge in this one, as Christian McCaffrey may return to face Denver's 26th-ranked run defense. However, McCaffrey is now dealing with a quad injury and may miss yet another contest.

Here's to hoping that this one ends in a tie, leaving the Panthers and Broncos a full game behind Philadelphia in the draft order.

Rooting Interest: Let's Get to Overtime!

Teams Ahead of Philadelphia

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

There are two teams the Eagles can jump in the draft order this weekend—the 3-9 Dallas Cowboys and the 3-9 Los Angeles Chargers. Philadelphia can also move into (another) tie with the Cincinnati Bengals with a loss and a Bengals win.

Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox)

We have another odd one here, as both the Cowboys and Bengals sit above the Eagles in the draft order. The big question is whether Philadelphia should hope to move ahead of Dallas or move into a tie with Cincinnati.

The short-term answer is that the Eagles should hope to move ahead of Dallas. This would immediately give the Eagles a better draft spot without having to rely on a coin-flip scenario. However, looking at the big picture, the Eagles should want a Bengals win here.

If Dallas falls to the Joe Burrow-less Bengals, it will maintain a half-game lead over the Eagles in the draft order—assuming, of course, that Philadelphia loses. The Eagles can erase that lead, though, because they play the Cowboys again in Week 16.

If Philadelphia sits at 3-10-1 when/if facing the 3-11 Cowboys it can move up in the draft order simply by losing the game. This would still leave the Eagles tied with the Bengals, unless Cincinnati is able to pull off another upset, but the Eagles would pick ahead of their division rivals.

Rooting Interest: Go, Bengals!

Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)

This is yet another complicated one, as the Eagles want to stay ahead of the Falcons but also want to jump the Chargers. Since Philadelphia has a half-game lead on Atlanta, It's best to hope for a Los Angeles win here.

Can the Chargers get the win here? Absolutely. While finishing games has been a challenge for L.A.—and the team just got blown out by the New England Patriots—rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has been sensational. In 11 games, he has passed for 3,224 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 185 yards and three more scores.

If Herbert can get going against Atlanta's 30th-ranked pass defense, the Chargers can out-duel the Falcons and pick up win No. 4.

Rooting Interest: Go, Chargers!