And then there were three.
Three games left on the regular season schedule for the 2019 NFL season, that is. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles find themselves dead even in the standings through Week 14.
Well, almost dead even. The NFL has a lot of pesky tiebreakers.
The Cowboys don’t have much going for them these days, as they’re in the midst of a three-game losing streak, but they can hold their heads high about holding a slight advantage over the Eagles thanks to their head-to-head win in Week 7. With it, the Cowboys are blessed to still be in the playoff race despite being below .500.
Dallas is also hanging on by a thread thanks to their spotless divisional record by virtue of securing two victories against New York, a win at Washington, and the aforementioned 37-10 thrashing of Philadelphia at AT&T Stadium back in October.
But a lot has happened since the Cowboys last got to play in an NFC East reprieve game and, despite the wins over their rivals, both teams sit atop the East at 6-7.
With only three games left in the regular season, and with the Eagles breathing down their necks, the Cowboys need to put on a good showing in the remaining three weeks if they want to take the NFC East crown. If they do, it would be the second consecutive season they've done so for the first time since they won the division five straight years from 1992 to 1996.
It won’t be easy to break the losing streak, though. Next up for Dallas is the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. You may also remember them as the team that ended the Cowboys’ season last year in the NFC Divisional Round.
The Rams seemed like a team floundering with a bad case of Super Bowl hangover this season with a record of 7-5, but they appeared to regain their mojo with a 28-12 win against the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 to move to 8-5.
Now Sean McVay and squad head to Dallas for a 2018 playoff rematch with playoff implications in 2019 on the line.
Last season, the Cowboys surprised in the second half of the season and took the NFC East before beating Seattle in the Wild Card round at AT&T Stadium.
Then in the second round of the playoffs, Dallas was forced to head west to play the Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Jason Garrett had never advanced beyond that round and the Cowboys franchise hadn’t since the 1995 season. It wasn’t to be in 2018, either.
The Rams were able to get their ground game going to keep the Cowboys at bay on their way to a win and an eventual trip to the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys path to winning back-to-back division titles begins on Sunday against the Rams in a revenge game, even though a loss against Los Angeles miraculously wouldn’t eliminate them from title contention. Nevertheless, a fourth straight loss would certainly make things more difficult.
As it appears at the moment, a 7-9 or 8-8 record could very well win the division. The most important game is still the Cowboys-Eagles clash in two weeks when Dallas travels to Philadelphia. Despite already having a head-to-head win in hand, it is imperative that Dallas wins against the Eagles again.
Should Dallas beat Philly, the Cowboys would need just one other win, either against the Rams or in the regular season finale against Washington.
The Cowboys have a real opportunity, and they still control their destiny, even at 6-7.
If the Eagles win that Week 16 rematch, then the ball is in their court, and Dallas could miss the playoffs despite being given nearly infinite chances in a gruesome division.
While Dallas still has something to play for, history says that winning your division at 8-8 or below doesn’t bode well for a team’s chances in the postseason. A shocker, I know.
Given that fact, would it be more prudent for the Cowboys to instead focus on getting a better draft slot to get playmakers who can help them in the long run? The short answer is no.
Giving up on the season and bowing out to an equally unimpressive and unworthy Philadelphia team sends the wrong message as an organization that still has to remain principled and sincere in the eyes of their current and future players.
Tanking is for teams without a chance. The opportunity might be slight in Dallas, but they’re still breathing. The Cowboys are in position to stake their claim as the best in the east. Even though that doesn’t say much this year, it’s still an achievable goal.
The first thing Dallas has to do is find a way to win a football game. They are on their second three-game losing streak of the season.
The Rams will pose a challenge for the Cowboys as, over the last two games, Dallas has started out hot on their first drive of the game only to fizzle out shortly thereafter.
If the Cowboys have trouble scoring in the second and third quarters, as they have in recent weeks (just six points in the last three games combined), then the game could get out of hand in a hurry.
For the Cowboys to even appear to be a threat to repeat as division champs, they will need to start looking convincing beginning on Sunday.
The Cowboys are winless against teams with a winning record, and, for them to have any confidence in marching towards the playoffs, the turnaround must start by making a statement in their second to last game in front of the home crowd at AT&T Stadium against the Rams with much more than just petty revenge on the line.
Do you think the Cowboys should keep trying in 2019 despite the struggles, or should they opt for better draft positioning and leave the division to the Eagles? Share your thoughts with Patrick on Twitter @DraftCowboys.
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