Perfect outcome for the Birds.
The Philadelphia Eagles probably didn’t expect to get help from the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The Cowboys entered their Week 12 matchup as 10.5-point road favorites against the Washington Commanders. Dallas was dealing with a bunch of injuries. Washington had a significant rest advantage since they were coming off a Thursday night mini-bye and the Cowboys were playing on short rest following Monday Night Football.
And yet … the Cowboys went to FedEx Field and pulled off the upset! In a totally wacky and wild game where Dallas almost managed to blow it (multiple times) at the end.
This result is a great outcome for the Eagles, as previously outlined:
DALLAS COWBOYS at WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Two reasons to root for Dallas. 1) The Cowboys winning only serves to damage their draft positioning. 2) The Eagles obviously want to see the second place Commanders fall further behind them atop the NFC East. Root for the Cowboys.
Chef’s kiss.
Here’s an updated look at the division standings:
1) Philadelphia Eagles: 8-2
2) Washington Commanders: 7-5
3) Dallas Cowboys: 4-7
4) New York Giants: 2-9
The Commanders’ loss is especially damaging to their chances of contending for the NFC East crown since it drops them to 2-2 in division games while the Eagles are 3-0. Even if the Commanders win the rest of their division games (including one in Week 16 against the Eagles), the Birds just have to beat the Cowboys and Giants (both games in Philly) to secure the division record tiebreaker (5-1 over 4-2).
And that’s assuming that the tiebreaker even comes into play. It’s not just that the Commanders lost an important game on Sunday … it’s also that they looked pretty unimpressive while doing it. Jayden Daniels and that Kliff Kingsbury offense have slowed in recent weeks.
Of course, the Eagles can’t let the Commanders’ struggles to allow them to take their foot off the gas. The Birds should be aiming higher than merely the division crown with the No. 1 seed still attainable. In order to stay alive for a first-round bye, the Eagles really need to beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. Especially since the Detroit Lions won yet again.
