Will Philadelphia Make the 2020 NFL Playoffs?

The Philadelphia Eagles have been a team riddled with “what could have been” situations over the past three years. During the team’s first-ever title run, Carson Wentz tore his ACL.

The Eagles still won the Super Bowl, but it kicked off a three-year run of Wentz failing to finish the season healthy.

Wentz went down again the next year, forcing Nick Foles to try to will the Eagles through the playoffs. Foles departed last offseason and wasn’t able to save Philly again when Wentz was knocked out of last year’s wild card playoff game.

The talk of Wentz’s health is never-ending, which makes it easy to overlook the fact that the Eagles are a well-run football team. Wentz’s injury issues aside, this team was already bogged down in the health department and probably wasn’t advancing far even if he stayed on the field.

That could be different in 2020, however, as the Eagles are a sleeper team to run the table, as well as a threat to win their division.

Will the Eagles make the playoffs in 2020, though? Logic suggests they will, especially if they’re realistic threats to do the things the top sports betting sites deem them capable of.

The BetOnline sportsbook starts the bidding at -200 for Philly to make the 2020 NFL playoffs, which seems to be a pretty good indication that they’re expected to have a good year.

Philadelphia won the NFC East after finishing 9-7 last year, while head coach Doug Pederson has worked some serious magic in guiding this team to postseason play in each of the last three seasons.

Assuming Carson Wentz can actually stay healthy for a change, there is a belief the Eagles could do a lot more than make the playoffs. The value isn’t through the roof here, but bettors probably still want to know if this wager is as safe as the price may indicate.

And if not, how likely are you to score a win on respectable +170 value? Let’s take a look at Philadelphia’s likelihood of making the playoffs this year and come to a final prediction.

There are two hiccups for me when looking at the Eagles, and if you’re hesitant in betting on them to make the playoffs, you should consider them.

The first is obviously the recurring injuries for Wentz. One was a freak knee injury, and concussions (his most recent injury) are just part of the game. But if this is a legit trend and we have to worry about this guy being knocked out for the entire year at some point, that’s cause for pause.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Eagles have just one elite showing over their last three playoffs runs. Philly barely got into the playoffs last year, as they needed a four-game winning streak to close out the season just to finish 9-7 and win the NFC East.

Had they not won the division, they wouldn’t have been in. The year before was similar, as they went 9-7 and were the last team in following wins in each of their final three contests.

The good news? Wentz can be dominant when healthy, while we got a taste of a high-octane offense in week one. DeSean Jackson probably needs to stay healthy to get those results consistently, but even if he doesn’t, some of Philly’s 2020 draft picks could pay off early on.

Wentz still has all the weapons he needs to succeed through the air, while the Eagles have perhaps the best offensive line in football. That should also give second-year phenom running back Miles Sanders a shot at turning into a star.

Defensively, the Eagles continue to be a force against the run and have the bodies to be a problem in the pass rush. If they can fix an often-suspect secondary, they could be one of the most balanced teams in the league.

Even if that doesn’t happen, a healthy Wentz could go off on the NFL with the weapons he has.

Ultimately, I like that the Eagles play in a weak division, while there are only a handful of teams that should really push them for the seventh playoff spot, if they don’t win the division.

Philly is as talented as anyone. They just need to be healthier in 2020. If they accomplish that, they should make the playoffs, and it’s possible the Eagles could win Super Bowl 2021.