There was a time when the Philadelphia Eagles were considered to be the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but that all changed when quarterback Carson Wentz got injured against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. The team still finished with the best record in the NFL, but the odds of Philadelphia reaching its first Super Bowl victory are significantly less than they were a few weeks ago.
The quarterback is easily the most important position on the football field, and the Eagles now have a huge question mark at the position. The previously unstoppable Philadelphia offense has consistently struggled with Nick Foles as the starting quarterback. They even got shutout by the Dallas Cowboys in the final week of the regular season. Foles will have to step up his play if the Eagles want to compete in the playoffs.
After getting a bye in the first week of the playoffs, the Eagles will start their journey to the Super Bowl with a game against the Atlanta Falcons. While this is not the same team that made the Super Bowl last year, Atlanta is playing really well at the moment. The Eagles have the distinction of being the first top seed in NFL history to enter the Divisional Round as underdogs, but this is undoubtedly going to be a close game. The Eagles can pull off a narrow victory with a decent game from Nick Foles.
The most significant problem for the Eagles will come if they advance to the NFC Championship round. Whether they play the New Orleans Saints or Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles will be big underdogs. Unless Foles transforms into an entirely different quarterback in the playoffs, it is hard to see Philadelphia beating either of these two teams. It would have been a tough win even if they still had a healthy Carson Wentz.
While everything can change in an instant in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles have virtually no shot to win the Super Bowl right now. They would have to pull off three big upsets to hoist the trophy. Escaping the NFC is going to be extremely difficult, but the path to a championship would only get harder with a game against the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles just do not have enough talent to win three big playoff games without a great quarterback.