In a hard-fought battle that came down to the final moments, the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately defeated the Dallas Cowboys to improve to 8-1 and increase their lead in the NFC East.
It would take a lot for the Cowboys to come within reach of the Eagles. Is there any chance, or have the Eagles locked in the No. 1 spot?
NFC East Outlook
It was a game of “almost” for the Cowboys as they almost completed a wild comeback in the final moments to win on Sunday. But a pass to CeeDee Lamb ended up just short, and the Eagles took home the 28-23 win.
Several things changed the course of the game for the Cowboys, such as a two-point conversion attempt where Dak Prescott stepped barely out of bounds or a Luke Schoonmaker touchdown that was called back short of the goal line on fourth down.
With the win, the Eagles have solidified their No. 1 spot in the division and will likely punch their ticket to the playoffs, but is there any chance at all for the Cowboys to be able to catch up?
The Cowboys are currently 2.5 games behind the Eagles, as Philadelphia has not yet taken its bye. For the Cowboys to catch the Eagles and tie, they would need to win two games, and the Eagles would need to lose two games.
In the case the Cowboys lose to the Eagles again, the Eagles would have the advantage in a tiebreaker scenario and would win the division in the case of a tie.
Should the Cowboys beat the Eagles in their next matchup in Week 13, the tiebreaker would come down to the best winning percentage in games played within the NFC East division.
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The Eagles have been phenomenal this season, as Jalen Hurts has played well and led the team to only one loss so far. Hurts has thrown for 2,140 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight touchdowns.
The Cowboys have had their ups and downs this season and have been much less consistent than the Eagles, pointing to them likely not catching them in the standings. While the team has been able to play fairly well consistently, when it comes to big games, they just can’t quite seem to perform at the level they need to.
The Cowboys are far enough back from the Eagles that it is very improbable for them to catch the division leaders unless everything goes their way.
Should the Eagles win the division, it would be the first time there has been a repeat champion since 2004. The Eagles won the division for four consecutive years starting in 2001. Since then, there have been no back-to-back wins for 18 years.
The Cowboys-Eagles rivalry goes back for quite some time, as this was the 125th meeting between the two teams. It appears the Eagles will remain in control of the NFC East this season, but of course, nothing is impossible.
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