The Philadelphia Eagles entered Week 7 needing a victory to maintain contact with the NFC playoff field. Instead, Monday night's 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys dropped Philadelphia to 2-5 and dealt another blow to its postseason hopes. The Eagles have lost five consecutive games after opening the season 2-0, leaving them well behind several teams competing for the NFC's three wild-card berths.

Minnesota leads the conference at 6-0, followed by San Francisco at 6-1. The Giants currently occupy the NFC East's automatic playoff position, while Carolina leads the NFC South. Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay hold the three wild-card spots, with Seattle also positioned ahead of Philadelphia. The Eagles must now make up considerable ground during the final 10 games.

Philadelphia's more realistic immediate opportunity could be the NFC East, where the Giants are 4-2-1. The Eagles still have division games against Washington, New York, and Dallas, giving them chances to improve their position if they can reverse their current form.

But Monday night's defensive performance made the challenge clear. The Eagles allowed 416 yards, including 204 on the run, and failed to record a sack or a quarterback hit. That kind of performance will make it hard to string together the wins needed to return to playoff contention. Philadelphia visits Washington in Week 8 before hosting the Giants.

Those two games could determine whether the Eagles enter their bye week with renewed postseason hopes or begin shifting their attention toward a disappointing offseason.

NFC playoff picture — through Week 7

Seed Team Record1 Minnesota Vikings 6-02 San Francisco 49ers 6-13 New York Giants 4-2-14 Carolina Panthers 3-35 Chicago Bears 5-26 Detroit Lions 4-27 Green Bay Packers 4-3

First team out: Seattle Seahawks (4-3). Atlanta is 3-4, Los Angeles Rams are 3-4, and Dallas is 3-4. The Eagles are 2-5.