Blogging The Boys
Eagles fans will be rooting for the Dallas Cowboys this week.
There’s an old saying, “The division rival of my divisional rival is my friend.” Okay, that’s not exactly how it goes but it certainly fits this week in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles, now atop the standings after last week’s victory over the Washington Commanders, hope to extend their lead in Week 12. But to do it, they’ll have to do the unthinkable and root for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles moved into first place last Thursday night with a home win over Washington, improving to 8-2 and winning their sixth straight game. That’s back-to-back losses now for the Commanders, but respectable ones against Philly and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We all saw what the Cowboys did on Monday night to pile more dirt on their season. Meanwhile, the Giants used their bye week to officially declare their season over. New York benched QB Daniel Jones to avoid triggering injury clauses and is turning to third-stringer Tommy DeVito.
The Cowboys visit the Commanders this Sunday and the dynamic of that matchup has completely flipped from pre-season expectations. Dallas is far worse than anyone could’ve projected, while Washington has been resurrected as a franchise with their new coach and quarterback. But instead of an intriguing matchup between Mike McCarthy’s offense and Dan Quinn’s defense, or Dak Prescott versus Jayden Daniels, we get questions like, “When will they put Trey Lance in” and “Why am I still watching this?”
As unlikely as a Dallas victory feels this Sunday, the Eagles will certainly be on our side. They have their own tough task that night against the Los Angeles Rams, who are 4-1 in their last five games. Even if Philly loses and Washington wins, the Eagles will still have a half-game lead in the NFC East. But a Cowboys upset, especially with division record implications, would be a huge boon for Philadelphia.
The Giants come out of their bye week with a manageable matchup against 4-6 Tampa Bay. But if New York is openly tanking at this point, as their QB decision suggests, it may not matter which version of the Buccaneers show up.
