PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles don't have to watch the scoreboard Sunday. They won't have any chance at a home playoff game if they don't win first.

        The Eagles (10-5) clinched a playoff berth two weeks ago but must beat the Bengals for a shot to play next week's wild-card game at Veterans Stadium.

        If Philadelphia wins today and Tampa Bay (10-5) loses to Green Bay, the Eagles will play host to the Buccaneers or Detroit (if the Lions beat Chicago) in the first round.

        If Tampa wins, Philadelphia still would get a home game if Minnesota (11-4) loses to Indianapolis, because the Buccaneers hold the tiebreaker to win the NFC Central and the Eagles hold the tiebreaker over the Vikings (better record against common opponents) for the No. 4 seed.

        “It's very important to win because any time you can play at home, it's an advantage,” said Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. “Then, when you have turf like we do, it's an added incentive. You have our crowd too, and that makes this a tough place to play. You don't come down here and think you're going to run through us no matter who it is.”

        Most of the Eagles couldn't watch the scoreboard even if they wanted. The playoff format is just too complex to figure out.

        “Just from asking around, I don't think that anyone in the locker room understands that whole ordeal,” quarterback Donovan McNabb said. “I think that everyone is just focused on taking care of our opportunity and that's just to play against a tough Cincinnati team. From then on, I guess we'll just watch the news and find out what other teams have to do. Our job is just to play the game and after that we'll just wait and see who we have to play.”

        The Bengals (4-11) are looking to complete their 10th straight losing season on a positive note. Cincinnati snapped Jacksonville's four-game winning streak with a 17-14 victory last week. Team president Mike Brown then rewarded head coach Dick LeBeau with a new contract on Wednesday.

        LeBeau, who took over Sept. 25 after Bruce Coslet quit, is using these games to evaluate his players and prepare the team for better days.

        “We're not going to stick our heads in the sand. We're not naive,” LeBeau said. “Let's rehearse for when these last two games are going to be everything for us to get into the playoffs, to get ready for big games, so we'll continue in that approach.”

        The Eagles see a little of themselves in the Bengals. Philadelphia finished strong last year with victories over New England and St. Louis, rode that success through the offseason and became a playoff team after winning just five games in 1999.

        “I still believe that Cincinnati has a number of weapons on their team,” coach Andy Reid said. “The more film you watch, the more you understand why they've put a push on this last part of the season. They are playing good, solid football.”

        Philadelphia has struggled at times against teams with strong running attacks. In their five losses, the Eagles have allowed an average of 131.4 yards rushing.

        Corey Dillon might cause some trouble for the NFL's 19th-ranked rush defense. He has a team-record 1,396 yards on 299 carries.

        “Corey is tremendous,” Reid said. “He has to be, if not the best cutback runner in the league right now, definitely one of the best. He uses his off-arm as well as anybody. He has a very strong upper and lower body. And he can catch the football. He's an all-around player.”

        Dillon, however, might be more worried about the Vet's infamous artificial turf. But he plays his home games on the treacherous grass field at Paul Brown Stadium.

        “It's hard. Cold,” said Dillon, who ran for 114 yards in a last-second 44-42 loss here in his rookie season three years ago. “That turf monster is something else. I would rather play on the field out there (at Paul Brown Stadium) than play on the turf. I'll just do the best I can to try and protect my legs.”

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