Week 11 was certainly interesting. If we're being honest, the results in the NFC East last week pretty much played out as expected. The Eagles lost to the Patriots, although the way it happened certainly was frustrating. Meanwhile, the Cowboys managed a win against a Matthew Stafford-less Lions team. On a micro level, it's frustrating because the Eagles defense played brilliantly and the Birds had every opportunity to win their game and alter the outlook of the division a little bit. But in the big picture, these were the results we expected, and don't really change what we thought the Eagles were going to have to do to win the division. So on we move.
Cowboys (6-5)
As we said, Dallas caught a break in getting the Lions without Stafford. Still, the Lions gave the Cowboys a bit of a game but didn't quite have enough to help the Eagles and pull off the upset. Again, the help would have been nice, but we weren't counting on it. This week, the Cowboys travel to New England to take on the Patriots. We're obviously expecting some help from the Pats here, and not getting it could really change things, so we'll be watching that one closely.
Eagles (5-5)
What can we say? The Eagles missed a golden opportunity to completely change the outlook for the rest of the season. The defense was fantastic and the Birds were in position to steal a win. The offense faltered and they didn't get it done. It certainly stings and adds another frustrating chapter to the Eagles' 2019 book of "what ifs." While that win would have been huge and changed the landscape of the division, the reality is most pundits were counting that game as a loss when projecting the rest of the schedule and calculating what the Eagles need to do to win the division, and the reality is that path is still right on schedule.
The Birds find themselves in a similar situation next week. The accepted formula for winning the division, at least for many, accounted for losses to the Patriots last week and the Seahawks this week with the Eagles then winning their remaining five games, giving them just enough to edge out the Cowboys for the division title. That being said, a win over Seattle would be a huge boost and would turn up the pressure on Dallas. If the defense can replicate last week's performance, the Eagles will have a chance.
It's also worth noting that while a Wild Card berth is looking increasingly unlikely, a win over the Seahawks would also be a big boost in that department.
Giants (2-8)
New York inches towards a merciful end to the season taking on the Bears.
Redskins (1-9)
Similarly, Washington hosts the Lions in one of the most irrelevant games of the week.
Overview
We'll just keep saying it. Last week was incredibly frustrating. A win over the Patriots could have changed everything, and it was right there for the taking. The fact that the Eagles couldn't get it done combined with the ineptness of the offense didn't help the state of mind of Eagles fans. But putting the emotion aside, we realize that we planned for this loss and everything we've been talking about for the last 2-3 weeks is still on the table. Stay the course and Go Birds.
