The Dallas Cowboys season is close to being over, with one more regular season game left to play. Despite being 7-8, the Cowboys are still in the hunt to be in the playoffs. However, this time they need outside help. If they beat the Washington Redskins next Sunday, they’ll depend on the outcome of the matchup between the 8-7 Philadelphia Eagles and the 4-11 New York Giants.
One would assume the Eagles have no way of losing to the Giants in the final week of the season. But not even the betting world sees this like an easy game, with the Eagles being only 4-point road favorites. The truth is, this should be a close divisional matchup.
The last time both teams played, the Giants led the game 17-3 at halftime. Philadelphia was forced to play with only two wide receivers and managed to hold the Eli Manning-led offense to zero points on their way to a 23-17 win.
The thing is, just like the Cowboys, the Eagles have been a disappointing team. Their defense, specially the secondary, hasn’t lived up to the hype. They rank 19th in the league in passing yards allowed and 17th in Football Outsiders’ pass defense efficiency ratings.
Daniel Jones just lit up the Redskins’ defense last week, when he threw for 352 yards and five passing touchdowns. He did so by spreading the ball to a lot of players, completing five or more passes to four different pass catchers. Saquon Barkley is also coming off from a huge performance in which he had 279 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns.
Now granted, they did so against the Redskins, but it’s hard to deny this offense has looked better now that a lot of players have returned from injuries suffered early in the season. Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Evan Engram have all missed games but now they’re back.
On the other hand, the Eagles haven’t been a dominant squad this year. They’ve struggled against plenty of teams including the Giants themselves. And heading into week 17, injuries have been a serious issue. Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor and Lane Johnson all missed practice on Wednesday. Not to mention other key players that have suffered season-ending injuries like DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery.
It’s hard to know what Cowboys Nation really wants. Some want to be in the playoffs, some want it all to be over. For better or worse, though, they have a legit chance of making it to January with some help from the New York Giants.
