With their recent win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles feel a little more relaxed knowing that no matter what happens over the next two weeks, they are guaranteed to play beyond Week 17. While it’s relaxing to know that the Eagles will at least earn a Wild Card spot, they would prefer to win their first NFC East title since 2006 and a first-round matchup at Lincoln Financial Field.

Over the last couple of weeks, it seemed the NFC standings would finish out with the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings owning the top-two seeds in the playoffs. While the Saints appear to be well in control of maintaining the No. 1 seed, a recent loss to the Carolina Panthers all of a sudden has the Vikings worrying about losing their first-round bye in the playoffs.

The Vikings have lost two of their last three games after starting the season 10-1. With two tough matchups remaining against the Chicago Bears and New York Giants, the Eagles all of a sudden have a chance to move up into the No. 2 seed if they can continue their five-game win streak.

If the Eagles can win out and the Vikings lost at least one game over the next two weeks, Philadelphia could earn the No. 2 seed since they would finish ahead of Minnesota after the tiebreaker. As of today, they currently hold the No. 3 seed in the NFC with a 10-4 record.

Of course, none of this will be easy for the Eagles. Not only do they have to win against the Denver Broncos in what is expected to be an emotional game with the return of Brian Dawkins, but they have to travel to Texas the final week of the season to take on Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys–who are all also fighting for their playoff lives.

The Cowboys remain one game behind the Eagles in the NFC East and could take the division by winning out for the rest of the season. Even if the two teams end up with the same record after Week 17, Dallas would earn the NFC East title for head-to-head matchup with Philadelphia.

The Eagles finishing as the No. 2 seed in the NFC would be one of the most unexpected finishes with the way 2009 has played out. The last time Philadelphia earned a first-round bye in the playoffs came in 2004-05, which was the same year they overcame their NFC Championship hump and reached the Super Bowl.