It wasn't pretty, but the Philadelphia Eagles escaped Oakland on Christmas night with a 19-10 victory, securing the top spot in the NFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Eagles, 13-2, have not had home field advantage in the playoffs since 2004, when they lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Philly found themselves in a 10-10 tie with the Raiders, with less than a minute to play, when cornerback Ronald Darby picked off Derek Carr and ran it back 52 yards with just 54 seconds to play. Nick Foles, who is filling in for injured QB and MVP candidate Carson Wentz, completed four straight passes for an additional 21 yards which set up a 48-yard field goal for Jack Elliott to take a 13-10 lead.
On the final play of the game, the Eagles returned a fumble for a touchdown after picking up a lateral which ended the game 19-10. While that defensive touchdown had no impact on the final outcome of the game, it sure as hell shifted a lot of money in Las Vegas and effected plenty of fantasy football owners in their championship games.
While the Eagles have locked up the #1 seed in the NFC, there's still some sorting out to do in Week 17.
As of now, the Minnesota Vikings, 12-3, are the #2 seed and can secure a bye in the first round with a win against the Bears in the regular season finale.
The Rams, Saints and Panthers are all 11-4 and the 3, 4, and 5 seeds, respectively. They've all clinched playoff spots as well.
The Atlanta Falcons, 9-6, are currently in the sixth seed, although the Seahawks are in the hunt at 9-6 as well. Atlanta hosts the Panthers in Week 17, while the Seahawks welcome the Arizona Cardinals.
