If the Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, they will clinch a second straight NFC East division title and secure a playoff berth. Both teams have struggled this season and both teams (especially the Eagles) are banged up going into the division deciding game but the Dallas Cowboys are favored (as they have been for most of the year) on the road to win. Coming off of an impressive victory against the Rams last week, should Dallas Cowboys fans be confident that their team will get the job done?
There are several reasons to be optimistic if you are a Dallas Cowboys fan. The Dallas Cowboys have won the last 4 meetings between the two teams and Dak Prescott has a 4-1 record against Carson Wentz in meaningful games when both QB’s have played the entire game. The Dallas Cowboys have a few injuries. The most significant injuries being those sustained by their starting quarterback, but Dak Prescott is expected to play in this game. Meanwhile, the Eagles have been decimated with injuries. The Eagles are without their best offensive lineman, almost their entire wide receiver corps, and their secondary even when healthy has been absolutely atrocious this season. For all these reasons, the Dallas Cowboys are favored to win at Philly.
Despite all of the variables that are working in the favor of the Dallas Cowboys, there are some other variables to consider as well. First of all, no team has repeated as NFC East champion since the Eagles did it in 2004. Secondly, this is a division game and a road game. The Cowboys swept the Eagles last season but it is always a difficult accomplishment to sweep a division opponent; And the Dallas Cowboys have a losing record on the road this season. Lastly, the Philadelphia Eagles are a wounded animal right now that have scratched and clawed their way to back to back, come from behind victories. Albeit, those victories did come against a couple of lousy teams in the Redskins and Giants, but nevertheless those wins have given the Eagles some confidence and momentum going forward. Furthermore, we all saw last week with our very own Dallas Cowboys how a struggling team can flip a switch and go off without warning. In the NFL, there is always the possibility of that happening and the Eagles are just as likely to do it as any other team in the league.
Weighing the pro’s and con’s against each other virtually cancels everything out. This is a winner take all, NFC East championship showdown in a hostile environment for the Dallas Cowboys. So perhaps history can be the deciding factor to predict if the Dallas Cowboys can beat the Philadelphia Eagles and secure the division title. The Dallas Cowboys most recent division deciding games came in 2011, 2012, and 2013 and they fell short every single time to the Giants, Redskins, and Eagles respectfully. Twice they lost on the road with Tony Romo as their quarterback and once at home with Kyle Orten. Beyond that awful stretch you would have to go back to 2009 when the Tony Romo led Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles to clinch the NFC East then went on to beat them again in the playoffs that year. Those were both home games for the Dallas Cowboys. The year prior to that the Cowboys had to travel to Philadelphia in the final game of the season to decide the division and were blown out 44-6. History then, would lean towards the Philadelphia Eagles winning the division especially because they are at home. However, that history does not take into account that this is the first time Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz have had the opportunity to play in a winner take all, NFC East championship deciding showdown. Dak Prescott may have the edge here simply because he has played in and won a playoff game while Carson Wentz has not. Either way, this game will not only decide the winner of the NFC East division, but it will also tip the scales in one direction or the other in the great debate over who is the better quarterback, Dak Prescott or Carson Wentz.
With everything that is at stake Sunday and taking into account all the variables that could determine victory or defeat for the Dallas Cowboys I can only conclude one thing. That is that my level of confidence that the Dallas Cowboys will beat the Philadelphia Eagles is on par with the toss of coin. On Sunday, we will finally find out which team actually wants to win the NFC East division.
*All data and statistics obtained and verified from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
**Photo by Kieth Allison; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
This year Cowboys are the worst team ever and Dak Prescott is the worst quarterback in history. E He is too self-centered and not a team player.
This year Cowboys are the worst team ever and Dak Prescott is the worst quarterback in history. He is too self-centered and not a team player.