NFC East Fly-By
The Games:
Redskins @ Eagles
Cowboys @ Cardinals
Bears @ Giants
Redskins @ Eagles
Philly fans couldn’t have
asked for much more today. The Eagles improved to 5-4 and managed to stay
afloat in the playoff race, while handing Joe Gibbs’s squad its sixth loss to bury
the Redskins even deeper in the NFC East cellar. Andy Reid truly committed to
the run, and he was rewarded with over 5 yards per carry from Brian Westbrook. Donte Stallworth was a formidable
force, with 139 yards and an 84-yard TD that put the Eagles up early. The
Eagles’ defense didn’t allow a touchdown; in fact, they actually outscored the Washington offense 7-3,
thanks to Sheldon Brown. Even Dhani Jones turned his
play around this week. For more information on this game, please read the Post
Game Report.
Eagles 27 Redskins 3
Cowboys @ Cardinals
The Cowboys got a big road
win against a weak opponent to keep pace with the Eagles in the standings. Dallas dominated every
aspect of this game from start to finish. Since taking over for Drew Bledsoe,
quarterback Tony Romo keeps looking better every
week. Terrell Owens was just four yards away from giving Dallas two 100-yard receivers (Patrick Crayton had 104). The ’Boys defense feasted on Matt Leinart, registering two picks and a sack, and only allowed
the Cards to enter the red zone twice. The Cardinals barely put up a fight in
this one, managing their lone touchdown on a Leinart
run in garbage time. The Cardinals are a total mess right now, and the timing
of this win couldn’t be better for the Cowboys as they rebounded from last week’s
frustrating loss.
Cowboys 27 Cardinals 10
Bears @ Giants
The G-Men suffered a big
setback in their quest to gain a two-game lead in the division and run their
winning streak to seven games, while the Bears displayed their ability to take
over a game like they had all year before last week’s hiccup against Miami. It was a tale of
two halves; something the Giants are used to, but now it was their turn to blow
a first-half lead. Thomas Jones carried the Chicago offense on his shoulders with 113
yards on the ground, and the real dagger came in the final quarter. Attempting
to cut the Bears’ lead to 1, Jay Feely missed a field goal and Devin Hester,
camped out in the end zone, ran it back for 108 yards and six points and left
the Giants completely embarrassed. There were some positives for New York; ravaged by
injuries to their usual starters, it was quite a feat for them to hold a lead
as long as they did. Their running attack was excellent; Tiki
“I’m Retiring” Barber put up 141 yards, and man-child/vulture back/construction
vehicle Brandon Jacobs scored on both of his carries. However, the loss gives
the injury-riddled Giants very little margin for error in future weeks.
Bears 38 Giants 20
What does it mean for the Eagles?
In a normal NFL season, you
would expect that playoff teams would be at worst 9-7, leaving teams like Washington dead in the
water by now. In fact, in the AFC last year, a 10-6 team (Kansas City) missed out on the playoffs
completely. But in this year’s weak NFC, with only Chicago firmly entrenched atop their
division, it is not inconceivable that a .500 team will take a wild card spot.
Recall that two years ago, both NFC
wild cards (Rams, Vikings) were 8-8 teams, and they
both won their first-round games on the road. Not that the Redskins will make
the playoffs, but if they go 5-2 down the stretch, they’ll have a fighting
chance. Big questions abound for every team in this division, but somebody has
to win it. Right now, the Giants are in the driver’s seat and seem to be most
capable of winning the division and a playoff spot. Expect the Cowboys, who
have some tough opponents but just two road games left on the schedule, to make
a late-season push as well. Washington
will need to rattle off 4 wins in a row (maybe a couple without Clinton Portis) and then take one of three from the Saints, Rams,
and Giants to even have a shot, which doesn’t seem too likely. And that brings
us to the Eagles.
Let’s assume the Eagles will
need a 9-7 record to make the playoffs, just to be safe. That means they will
need to win at least 4 more this year, and any extra wins should guarantee a
return to the postseason. So what are the four must-wins? The Eagles only have
three home games left: next week against Tennessee,
and contests at the beginning and end of December with Carolina
and Atlanta.
These are three winnable games; at 2-7, the Titans have been able to put a
scare in opponents (just ask Indy and Baltimore) but can’t finish the job, and
the Panthers and Falcons have been just as inconsistent as the Eagles. In
addition to running the table at home, the Birds will have to take at least one
game away from the Linc, a daunting task if there
ever was one. The trip to undefeated Indianapolis
in two weeks doesn’t look too promising, so the win will have to come on the
Road Trip from Hell. With that said, the Eagles’ best
chance for the fourth win looks to be at Washington
on December 10th. In short: if we lose next week, start panicking.
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Current
Standings
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W-L (Div.)
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Next Game
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Giants
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6-3 (3-0)
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@ Jaguars
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Eagles
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5-4 (2-1)
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Titans
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Cowboys
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5-4 (1-3)
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Colts
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Redskins
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3-6 (1-3)
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@ Buccaneers
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