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Tom Brady knocked the Philadelphia Eagles out of the playoffs a year ago. The future Hall of Famer stopped them from winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history back in 2005, and he owns a 7-2 career record against the NFC East foes. The Eagles have always loathed Brady throughout his career, but they’ll transform into his biggest fans this week when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Carolina Panthers.

The Eagles will be rooting for Tom Brady to knock the Saints out of the playoffs

Tom Brady attempts a throw against the Eagles.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady attempts a throw against the Philadelphia Eagles | Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The No. 1 priority for the Eagles down the stretch of the regular season is to lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The top seed would give Philadelphia the only first-round bye in the NFC and home-field advantage up until the Super Bowl. If they can clinch the No. 1 seed in Week 17, the Eagles will also have the opportunity to rest their starters in Week 18 and enter the playoffs healthy and rested.

But almost as much as the Eagles want to secure the top seed in the conference, they also want to ensure the Saints don’t make the playoffs themselves. You see, Philly made a multi-pick trade with New Orleans last offseason that landed them the Saints’ first-rounder in 2023. As of right now, the Saints hold the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That would jump to at least No. 19 overall if they’re able to win the NFC South.

To do that, New Orleans would need to win their final two games and watch the Buccaneers lose their final two. But even if the Saints upset the Eagles this week, the Bucs can lock up the NFC South and knock NO out of the playoffs with a win against the Panthers.

If Brady can handle business against Carolina this Sunday, the Eagles will be celebrating just as much as the Bucs.

The Eagles want to see Tom Brady vs. the Cowboys in the playoffs

The Eagles aren’t scared of any team in the NFC, but the Cowboys have to be close. Not only is Dak Prescott 8-3 against Philadelphia in his career, but he just lit up its talented defense for 40 points in a Week 16 win. Dallas has a talented enough roster to go into Lincoln Financial Field and knock the Eagles out of the playoffs, but it’ll need to get past the NFC South winner first.

If you’re the Eagles, you’re not giving the Panthers or Saints a fighting chance against the Cowboys. But Brady and the Bucs? That’s a different story. Brady has never lost to the Cowboys in his career (7-0), and his Buccaneers destroyed Dallas, 19-3, all the way back in Week 1.

Philadelphia would much rather see Tampa Bay and its banged-up offensive line in the second round of the playoffs, so there’s more than one reason why the Eagles will be rooting for the Bucs this week.

Eagles fans, welcome to the Brady bandwagon.

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The Eagles Will Be Playing for Much More Than the No. 1 Seed Against the Saints

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.