Two weeks remain in the regular season, and the only thing we know for certain about the NFC East is the Washington Redskins will not be division champs.
That situation could begin to clear up a bit this Saturday – or the waters could become more muddied – when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Christmas Eve clash is set for kickoff a little past 4:15 p.m. (ET) with FOX providing the broadcast.
The NFC East has resembled a commune during the 2011 campaign with all four teams spending time at the top of the standings at one point or another. Dallas (8-6 straight up, 5-8-1 against the spread) currently has the lead, but it's a cushion of just a game over the New York Giants with Philadelphia (6-8 SU & ATS) two back. Suggesting the Cowboys control their own destiny would be an accurate statement, yet one that carries such little weight given how inconsistent all four teams in the division have played through 15 weeks.
Philadelphia was supposed to control the division from start to finish after being lumped in with other Super Bowl favorites like Green Bay and New England before the 2011 season opened. The Eagles only spent one week in the division's penthouse following a Week 1 victory which was followed by four consecutive defeats. Last rites were delivered after a Thursday night loss in Seattle just two short NFL weeks ago left Philly 4-8.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral home where 20 of the league's 32 teams will eventually find themselves in a couple of weeks. Well, not so funny to the Dolphins who the Eagles popped 26-10 in Week 14 as three-point road 'dogs, and certainly no laughing matter to the Jets last Sunday who were soundly thrashed by Philadelphia, 45-19. The Birds were favored by three in that one.
Suddenly, and despite that 6-8 record, the Eagles have been brought back to life. Not only that, but after the media piled on Andy Reid and his club for being the poster boys of underachievement, Philadelphia has become something of a chic pick to find a seat at the playoff table where they're projected to be a very dangerous group.
Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says that he is "scared" of the Eagles.
Yet to be heard from on the subject so far this week is Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan who showed no fear of the Eagles when the clubs prepared to meet near Halloween, predicting the Cowboys were going to do a little backside kicking on the "all-hype team." Perhaps Rob's brother Rex Ryan can pass on a few clues on what a true beating is after Rex's Jets went down in flames to Philadelphia this past Sunday.
Rob Ryan and the Cowboys really don't need any clues from the Jets on what it's like to get their rear ends handed to them by the Eagles. That Halloween meeting Rob was so confident entering play? Well, Philadelphia romped past Dallas, 34-7, to easily cover that three-point spread.
That triumph by the Eagles was their second straight in a series that has run in short spurts for each team. Before this two-game mini-streak by Philly, the Cowboys had won four straight; before that, the Eagles won three in a row. Meanwhile, the betting trends during the last 10 have been level at 5-5 ATS and 5-5 'over/under.' The totals have been switching back and forth, two to the 'over' followed by two to the 'under,' and if that holds true this Saturday, the current 50½-point mark will be exceeded.
Philadelphia scored all of its 34 points in the Week 8 get-together before Dallas finally got on the board. The Cowboys' lone score came on a fourth-quarter bomb from Tony Romo to Laurent Robinson. The Eagles dominated otherwise, with LeSean McCoy breaking loose for a career-best 185 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way. Michael Vick balanced things out through the air on a 21-for-28 afternoon that netted 256 more yards for the team.
Vick and McCoy led a similarly balanced effort in last week's win over the Jets, and they'll be testing a Cowboys defense that might be without two key players due to injuries. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware (neck) and nose tackle Jay Ratliff (ribs) are both questionable for Saturday's game, with updates on each player expected later this week.
The Dallas defense posted its best numbers of the season in last week's 38-15 win at Tampa Bay. The Cowboys limited the Buccaneers to just 190 total yards and seven first downs, keeping Tampa's offense out of the end zone for nearly all of the first three quarters. Rob Ryan's unit could be in for some early shock this week, however, adjusting to far more speed out of the Eagles than what was seen against the Bucs.
Tony Romo enjoyed a fine evening in Tampa as well and, except for his Thanksgiving Day effort, has been solid since the loss to the Eagles in late-October. Felix Jones has also stepped in the last two weeks for the injured DeMarco Murray, and kept the Dallas ground game in fine form. That 'over' is suddenly looking better and better.
As for Saturday's spread, the Cowboys are currently 2-2½ point favorites, though the line might be seen as nothing more than window dressing since neither team has proven it can be trusted to win a game straight up, much less cover points in the process.