Odds say things are looking up for Eagles

It was all about staying relevant for the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, who were given only a 21 percent chance of getting back into the playoffs before the Washington Redskins kicked off to them Monday night.

Beat the Redskins and the postseason probability increases seven points, according to 538.com, the Nate Silver model that NFL coaches and players keep tabs on. Lose and the Eagles were looking at a 4 percent chance of reaching the tournament. Lose and you probably should get used to wearing very dark sunglasses. Maybe even the fake nose with the mustache.

The Eagles can hold their heads highs. They prevailed, 2813, with Golden Tate, Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews getting into the end zone. But even the most casual fan knew it should have been easier. Heck, Mark Sanchez played most of the game at quarterback for the visitors.

But back to the Eagles because this game was all about them. They were stuffed on fourth-and-goal at the one-foot line of the Redskins and Carson Wentz was intercepted by Josh Norman throwing into double coverage after Tate’s 32-yard catch-and-run gave them a firstand-goal at the 5. That’s at least six more points on the scoreboard.

Wentz threw for 306 yards and two TDs but had the costly interception. He forced throws. He was bailed out again by a run game led by Josh Adams, who rushed for a career-high 85 yards.

The flip side is that these weren’t even the Redskins that had warmed up in pregame.

The Redskins were forced to turn to Sanchez, the 34-yearold relic who has had two weeks to learn the offensive system. Colt McCoy was given the news that his right leg was fractured in the second quarter, and he would soon join Alex Smith on injured reserve.

The Eagles had this one. For sure, to borrow the verbiage of Wentz.

But Adrian Peterson burst through the Eagles defense for a 90-yard scoring run on Sanchez’s first snap, the longest TD run ever allowed by the Eagles. And the Eagles parked at the intermission with a disappointing 14-13 lead.

Horrific as Sanchez was, the Eagles didn’t distance themselves until Matthews’ four-yard scoring grab and Tate’s twopoint conversion for a 22-13 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Linebacker Nate Gerry picked off Sanchez to set up a field goal, and the Eagles killed clock the rest of the way to finish the game.

And now ... if the Eagles (66) win at Dallas (7-5) next Sunday, their probability of securing a playoff berth explodes to 57 percent.

Should the Eagles win out, they get the division pennant. Doing so would make them 10-6. Even if Dallas got to 10-6, they’d have another loss to the Eagles, making them even in the headto-head tiebreaker. The Eagles would have a better division record, i.e. just one loss, which is the next tiebreaker.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, would all but lock up a playoff berth with a win over the Eagles next weekend. That would give the Cowboys a 95 percent chance of securing a playoff berth and a 91 percent possibility of winning the division.

The Cowboys have a remote shot at gaining a bye. The Eagles cannot secure one.

The win over the Redskins is

something to build on, for sure. It gives the Eagles a two-game winning streak, their first back-to-back victories of the season.

The Eagles got off to a quick start, Wentz firing a six-yard TD pass to Tate to complete a 75-yard march on the opening possession. That triggered the Redskins effect: For the 12th straight game, the team that scored first in a Redskins game ended up winning.

The opening-drive tally represented the first time that the Eagles scored on their first series since they defeated the New York Giants in Week 6. But the Eagles all too often let up on the gas.

Wentz looked like he did the last time these teams played, as he kept plays alive throughout several drives.

The Eagles had the Redskins right where they wanted them in the second quarter. Sanchez was backed up near his own end zone and the noise was deafening. Ninety yards later, Peterson ran away from three defensive backs and a linebacker to give the Redskins a 10-7 lead.

On the ensuing Eagles series, Doug Pederson felt dangerous enough to bet the house on fourthand-goal at the one-yard line of the Redskins. But linebacker Zach Brown came around the edge unblocked and tackled Adams for a two-yard loss.

The Redskins still were in trouble as they couldn’t get out of their own way with Sanchez, who was in an impossible position.

While the crowd roared, the Redskins lost two yards on first down and wound up punting out of their end zone.

Three plays and 40 yards later, Sproles broke three tackles on a 14yard scoring run giving the Eagles a 14-10 advantage with 1:54 remaining in the first half. It was Sproles’ first action since the opener, a hamstring knocking him out of commission, and his first TD since Dec. 22, 2016, against the Giants.

The Redskins entered the game with a 41 percent probability of claiming a playoff berth and a 15 percent chance of winning the division. The probability fell to 27 percent of securing a playoff spot after the loss.

And for the streaking Eagles, the odds could just keep getting more favorable.