Have you ever seen two teams in a neck-and-neck race for a division title try to find any way possible to lose? Because that seems to be exactly what's been happening between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles are currently one game behind the Cowboys in the division, and the past few weeks both teams have been given their fair share of chances to win their games. After the Cowboys were handed a defeat by the New England Patriots in Week 12, the Eagles had a legitimate shot at beating the Seattle Seahawks, keeping the game within one score throughout most of the match. The offense choked and both NFC East teams lost, but kept at a standstill in their positions in the division chase.
In Week 14, Eagles fans got to enjoy watching the Cowboys blow a home game to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving, and with Philadelphia heading down to Miami to face the Dolphins, it seemed all but certain they would return to Philly tied for the division lead. Instead, the Eagles ended up choking and left HardRock Stadium with some much-deserved booing and shame.
So now in Week 15, the Eagles once again got a break handed to them when the Chicago Bears were able to blow the Cowboys out on their home turf. The Eagles can now once again tie for the division lead IF they get their act together and defeat a 2-10 New York Giants team on Monday Night Football. Although not ALL hope would be lost if the team squandered another chance at winning a football game for the first time in a month (but then again, any team that potentially loses to Dolphins and Giants in consecutive weeks doesn't deserve to even sniff the playoffs).
After the Cowboys defeat at the hands of the Bears, there are now 17 different scenarios that can happen over the next four weeks where the Eagles can win the NFC East for the 2nd time in three years. On the r/Eagles reddit page, user u/johnniehop posted the following graph which details what needs to play out over the last month of the season to ensure the Eagles get into the postseason and host a playoff game (green means wins and red means losses).
It feels like whoever wins the Week 16 matchup between these two teams will ultimately win the division crown. Both teams seem to be in turmoil, but all it takes is two or three weeks of decent enough play to win some ballgames to get into the playoffs. And we all know what can happen once you become one of those 12 teams that has a shot at bringing home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Just remember that the Seattle Seahawks made the postseason a few years back at 7-9 at ended up defeating the reigning Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, and the New York Giants also won a Super Bowl this decade when winning just nine games in the regular season.
It's all about getting hot at the right time. Plus, if you want to look at things optimistically, if this Eagles team makes the postseason, there is a chance that Jordan Howard will be fully healthy, as well as a possibility where DeSean Jackson comes off Injured Reserved in time to help the sputtering offense.
