For the Philadelphia Eagles and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, every game is must-win with just two matchups left in the regular season.
"We're just trying to win this game this week," Mailata said. "The end goal is good, and winning the NFC East but in reality, everyone's mindset is just winning this game. We're treating it like a playoff every game from now on. Has to be treated like a playoff."
Philadelphia will be hosting the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday on New Year's Eve at 1 p.m. before heading on the road in Week 18 to New Jersey to take on the New York Giants.
If the Eagles are able to win both games, they will win the NFC East over the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first team to win the division in back to back seasons since they did it four-straight times from 2001 to 2004. It is the longest such streak in NFL history for any of the divisions.
Both the one and the two seed in the NFC are still up for grabs with Philadelphia in the running for both. If the Eagles win out and both the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers lose at least one game, they will get the one seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. If the Lions lose but the 49ers don't, Philadelphia will get the two seed.
However, if the Eagles lose either of their games, they could end up playing on the road in a wild card game as the five seed.
More must-reads: