Ben Solomon for The New York Times
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On the first day of December, the Philadelphia Eagles lost their third game in a row, a 6-point defeat at Miami. The Eagles were 5-7, and even in the woeful N.F.C. East, a playoff berth seemed unlikely.
But the Eagles won each of their next three games, the third one a decisive 8-point victory over the Dallas Cowboys, their only remaining competitor for the N.F.C. East title. That meant an Eagles victory in their regular-season finale on Sunday, at the home of the Giants, one of Philadelphia’s oldest and fiercest rivals, would bring a berth in the postseason.