The Dallas Cowboys got out to a quick 21-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles, a nightmare beginning to the rematch of the NFC East rivals. The 24 unanswered points then scored by the Birds in the second and third quarters were a rousing flash of the team we saw on Thanksgiving Day. Then came the final collapse, where Philadelphia ultimately fell 38-27 to Dallas at the Linc.
We waited for Tony Romo to be Tony Romo in December, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he finished the game 22/31 for 265 yards and 3 TDs. No interceptions. Boo.
The Eagles’ secondary could not contain Dez Bryant, who had 114 yards and three touchdowns. A slew of penalties against Cary Williams added insult to injury. Once Philadelphia pulled ahead to a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, they quickly let it vanish. The Cowboys scored two TDs within 2 minutes and 51 seconds – a DeMarco Murray touchdown, followed by Mark Sanchez throwing an interception and giving the football to Dallas at the Philadelphia 42-yard line to start the fourth quarter, ultimately ending in a Bryant score.
Philadelphia running backs put in work – Chris Polk saw the endzone twice as his team was mounting its comeback, and Darren Sproles got one in late in the third quarter. And that was all she wrote for the Eagles offense this game.
A now 9-5 record has covered many issues on this Eagles team, which have been terribly exposed in each game against a winning opponent. A woeful secondary can only get you so far, and Mark Sanchez has shown himself to be who he truly is: Mark Sanchez. He finished the game 17/28 for 252 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Eagles now lead the league with 34 turnovers, a distinction that has made all the difference against playoff-caliber teams.
What does the playoff picture now look for for the Birds? Philadelphia is now one game behind the dreaded Cowboys. Dallas controls its own destiny – if they win out, they win the division. For the Eagles to win the NFC East – far more likely option than getting a wild card berth – they need to win the final games on their schedule – road games against the Redskins and Giants. Philadelphia then needs for Dallas to lose one of its final two games – next week against the Colts, or the following week at Washington.
Philadelphia would also get the NFC East title if the Cowboys lost both of its final games and the Birds won both of theirs. That seems unlikely, given that the unsightly Redskins are one of their upcoming opponents.
Winning the division is still a possibility for the Birds, though they have made the situation far more difficult on themselves. But the question we all have to wonder at this stage is this: Even if this team gets a playoff berth, what have we seen that convinces us that they can do anything with it?
