Defending champs need win and help
The Philadelphia Eagles need to win and get help to keep playing and have a chance to defend their Super Bowl title.
All Washington can do now is play spoiler.
It’s do- or- die for the Eagles (8-7) when they visit Washington (7- 8) on Sunday. A victory coupled with a loss by the Vikings (8- 6-1) at home against the Bears ( 11- 4) gives Philadelphia the final wild-card spot and the NFC’s No. 6 seed. A loss sends them on an early vacation.
“It’s tough not to control your own destiny but at the same time, if you focus on everything else that is going on and we have a slip-up because we’re not focusing on our jobs, it’s really not going to matter,” Eagles tight end Zach Ertz said.
The Eagles didn’t expect to be in this position after winning their first NFL championship since 1960. They were the clear favorites in the NFC East and thinking repeat, but inconsistency and injuries plagued them from the start.
The Eagles have been resilient, rebounding after a 41-point loss to the Saints dropped their record to 4- 6. They won two in a row only to suffer a disappointing overtime loss at Dallas and learning afterward that Carson Wentz would be sidelined by a back injury.
Then Nick Foles stepped in and led Philadelphia to
consecutive victories over 10-win teams. Foles, the Super Bowl MVP in the victory over New England, was outstanding in an upset win at the Los Angeles Rams and sensational in a comeback win over Houston. MARIOTA LIMITED IN RETURN TO PRACTICE FOR TI
TANS » Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has returned to practice and hopes to recover from his latest injury in time to start against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mariota threw passes during the portion of practice open to reporters. He suffered a stinger in his neck against Washington that affected his right, throwing arm. Coach Mike Vrabel says Mariota did some work to make sure he’s progressing along. VETERAN TIGHT END WATSON IS RETIRING » New Orleans Saints veteran tight end Ben Watson says he’s retiring after this season. Watson turned 38 this month and is in his 14th NFL season out of Georgia.
His announcement came through an NFL Films video about his family that was posted on Thursday. Watson also confirmed his decision with reporters after Thursday’s practice. TEXANS LOOKING FOR A BYE
» The Houston Texans are already in the playoffs but need a win against Jacksonville (5-10) on Sunday to clinch the AFC South and have a chance for a firstround bye.
“That’s the main thing we’re thinking about is clinching this division, nothing else,” receiver DeAndre Hopkins said. “In order for us to get to where we want to get we’ve got to win this game.”
Houston (10- 5) lost to Philadelphia last week but became the sixth team since 1980 to reach the playoffs after a 0-3 start on Sunday when Pittsburgh lost to New Orleans. The Texans would get a bye with a victory and a loss or tie by New England.
The Texans won nine in a row after their winless start to turn their season around, but have lost two of their past three as injuries have started piling up. BARKLEY TO CAP RECORD SEASON » While the NFL rushing title might be a little out of reach heading into the final week of the regular season, halfback Saquon Barkley is probably going to end his rookie season with the New York Giants with his share of records.
The No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft has one league record within reach, can join a very select group of players with his yards from scrimmage total, and he can add to his windfall of Giants records.
Barkley’s statistics are impressive. He has rushed for 1,198 yards and 10 touchdowns, caught a team-high 87 passes for 688 yards and four touchdowns, and accumulated 1,886 yards from scrimmage.
The 21-year- old running back enters the week third in the league in rushing. He is 236 yards behind Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys and 183 behind Todd Gurley of the Rams.
Barkley needs two receptions to break Reggie Bush’s NFL mark (88) for rookie running backs, set in 2006. He needs 114 yards from scrimmage to join Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (2,212
yards in 1983) and Edgerrin James (2,139 in 1999) as only rookies with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards in NFL history.
He has already broken the team’s rookie record for yards rushing, needs 2 yards to become the fourth Giant with 1,200 yards rushing, and one rushing TD to set the team record, which he now shares with Bill Paschal (1943). CHIEFS AIM FOR AFC WEST
TITLE, NO. 1 SEE » The Kansas City Chiefs could have taken this week off, assured of not only their third consecutive AFC West title but also the No. 1 seed in the playoffs before the Oakland Raiders came to town.
Instead, they’ll have everything on the line Sunday.
The Chiefs blew a fourthquarter lead against the Chargers a couple weeks ago, and last week they lost a shootout in Seattle. They are now 0-2 with a chance to clinch the division, and they risk falling all the way to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs if they can’t defeat one of their longtime rivals.
If the Chiefs (11- 4) win, they get a path through Arrowhead Stadium. If they lose and the Chargers win, Los Angeles vaults to the top of the AFC West and the No. 1 seed.
If both teams lose, the Patriots or Texans would have a chance to snare the top spot, and Kansas City could conceivably go from having a bye to a wild-card matchup next weekend. RAVENS WIN AND THEY ARE IN » The Baltimore Ravens couldn’t have asked for a better scenario heading into Sunday’s AFC North matchup with the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland (7-7-1) has rattled off five victories in its past six games, including the past three in a row. Striving to complete their first winning season since 2007 and eager to play the spoiler’s role against the team that left Cleveland for Baltimore after the 1995 season, the Browns have plenty of incentive to beat the Ravens (9- 6).
Browns interim coach Gregg Williams, who replaced Hue Jackson in late October, called it “our playoff game.”
The guidance of Williams and the stellar play of Mayfield have turned things around for the Browns, who beat Baltimore 12-9 in overtime on Oct. 7 when Jackson was their coach and Joe Flacco was the Ravens quarterback.
A month after that game, rookie Lamar Jackson took over at quarterback, the defense stiffened, and the Ravens used a 5-1 streak to move past Pittsburgh into first place.
Now, Baltimore is poised to end its three-year hiatus from the playoffs.
It’s a familiar position for the Ravens, who blew a win-and-they’re-in finale last year when they yielded a touchdown on a fourthdown play against visiting Cincinnati in the final minute.
This time, they’re looking for a different ending.