The next game on the schedule for the Dallas Cowboys is their most important of the season. Sunday is not just another contest against a division rival for the 7-7 Cowboys. Week 16 from Philadelphia is a “win and in” game with a chance to wrap up a second consecutive NFC East title for the first time in over 20 years.
Dallas is most recently coming off a refreshing 44-21 thumping over the reigning NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys had been held winless against teams with winning records heading into this game, but Dallas had the perfect plan to attack the Rams and executed to perfection.
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard ran for over 100 yards apiece and the thunder and lightning rushing attack combined for three touchdowns on the ground. Dak Prescott didn’t need to do much in the passing game last Sunday but he added two touchdowns to help Dallas keep pace. As great as that win was, it will prove meaningless if the Cowboys lay an egg in Philadelphia come Sunday.
The Cowboys have a chance to be the first back-to-back division champion since the Eagles did it from 2001-2004 in the annually mediocre carousel that has been the NFC East over the last 15 years. With a win on Sunday, the Cowboys will punch their ticket to the postseason and all within a year where an 8-8 record can absolutely be enough to take the East.
While the Cowboys will want to finish off the division and clinch a playoff spot with a win on Sunday, a loss amazingly wouldn’t even necessarily doom them. If the 7-7 Eagles win, Philadelphia would then be putting destiny in their own hands and forcing the Cowboys to need some help from Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Week 17.
Dallas won’t want to have to hope that the Giants can pull an upset in the season’s final week just to back their way into the postseason, and the Cowboys would also need to beat Washington in this scenario. The best path to the postseason will be by taking care of business in Week 16 and that means beating Philadelphia in their house where the Cowboys are a three-point favorite.
Winning on the road in the NFL is a tough task regardless of stakes. Counting on a victory away from home is especially difficult in the division and in hostile territory. Dallas is 3-4 on the road this year with an opportunity to bring that record up to 4-4 and guarantee an overall finish no worse than .500.
A team splitting their games on the road is a decent outcome in most cases, so Dallas wouldn’t be too upset with that record if they can finish strong. One thing that they will have in their favor is recent history. Since Jason Garrett became the full-time head coach in 2011, the Cowboys have owned the Eagles in Philly.
Dallas is 6-2 at Lincoln Financial Field and 2-1 in the Prescott era with the lone loss coming in 2016 when the Cowboys were 13-2 and Elliott didn’t even see the field as several starters were rested ahead of the playoffs. The Cowboys have won four straight overall in this series and seven of the last 10.
This game doesn’t get much bigger, despite the struggles of both teams. Neither squad will care about their respective 7-7 records when they line up against each other with a home playoff game on the line. There are no bigger rivals in the division than the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, as these two teams have traded the East title over the last three seasons and in five of the last six years.
Dallas has a chance to put a lot of disappointment from the 2019 season behind them with a win where they can prove that they are still the team to beat in the East. The goal on Sunday will be to end all doubt and claim their 24th NFC East crown.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to go up to Philadelphia and silence their critics with a division title? Share your thoughts on the NFC East showdown with Patrick on Twitter @DraftCowboys.
