The Cowboys may be taking a week off but that doesn't mean their fans will be. While Dallas sits out during their Week 7 bye, to where should Cowboys Nation shift their attention?
Some years the easy answer is to just keep it in the division and follow whatever New York, Philadelphia, and Washington are up to. But while all three rivals are playing today, their relevance to the Cowboys is already dubious as Dallas is starting to run away with the NFC East.
Even now, just barely a third of the way through the 2021 season, winning the division is looking like a formality. Focus is moving to the NFC playoff picture and where the Cowboys will stack up against other postseason contenders.
With both of these factors in mind, here are some suggestions for your Week 7 viewing pleasure.
12:00 Games
Washington Football Team @ Green Bay Packers
The Football Team and its current quarterback, Taylor Heinicke, are scrappy. We saw that in last year's near-upset of the Buccaneers in the playoffs and a few times this season. While the results haven't been good for most of 2021 for Washington, could they catch the Packers off guard?
Green Bay is 5-1 and one Dallas' biggest threats in the conference. Aaron Rodgers is still fantastic and a top QB in the league, but his team's also been beating up on mostly .500 and below competition thus far.
Some might argue that we don't want Washington getting a win here as it would pull them closer to Dallas and give them new confidence. But in the grand scheme, Green Bay taking a bad home loss would probably serve the Cowboys better for eventual playoff seeding.
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants
The Giants have the best chance to win of all the NFC East teams this week. With Washington and Philly both on the road against winning teams, New York's hosting the suspect 3-3 Panthers.
Perhaps the last time you saw Carolina was in Week 4 when they lost their first game of the year to the Cowboys. That was the start of a three-game losing streak which the Panthers now bring into New York.
Just 1-5 on the year, the Giants may be exactly what Carolina needs for a slump buster. And if the losses keep mounting, New York may be closer to some rumored changes on their coaching staff.
4:00 Games
Philadelphia Eagles @ Las Vegas Raiders
It's been a tough year so far for Philly and it doesn't get any easier against the 4-2 Raiders. While the Eagles appear to still be looking for their QB of the future, Derek Carr is having one of his best seasons for Vegas and helping stabilize the team through their recent ordeal with Jon Gruden.
Truthfully, there isn't much to see here with the Raiders being an AFC team. But if you want to spend an afternoon watching the Eagles' demoralization continue, that's time well spent.
Detroit Lions @ Los Angeles Rams
The storyline of swapped quarterbacks is enough to make this one intriguing, as is the Rams being another 5-1 contender in the NFC. They probably won't lose a step against the winless Lions, but emotions should run high with Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff playing against their old teams. Funny things happen in those kind of games.
Houston Texans @ Arizona Cardinals
The NFL's only perfect team left in 2021, Arizona should remain undefeated against the lowly Texans. Some of you may follow Texas' other team and others our regional neighbors from the Grand Canyon State. Even if not, it's a chance to check out MVP-candidate Kyler Murray and a team that Dallas may very well have to get through to get back to the Super Bowl.
