Philadelphia Eagles: Time To Show Their Mettle

The Philadelphia Eagles did what they had to do and beat the Tennessee Titans realtively easy. No team scored more in Week 12 than the Eagles, who put a 40-burger on the Titans for their eighth win in 11 games in the 2014 NFL season. The Birds were anything but perfect, with Mark Sanchez throwing two picks and the defense struggling in coverage at times. However, the difference in talent between these two teams was enough to lift Philadelphia over their opponents.

The Eagles remain in the first place of the NFC East. The Dallas Cowboys are in second and after beating the Giants in New York, they have a 8-3 record, too.

The rivalry between Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys is one of the greatest in the NFL. The two teams will get a shot at each other on Thursday.

Dallas hosts the Eagles as part of NFL’s three-game slate for Thanksgiving. The winner will take the lead in the NFC East. With four games left to play after Thursday, it looks like the winner will also be the favorite to win the division.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, this is the time to shine. Despite the big number of injuries and inconsistent play by many of their players, they’ve managed to win when they had to. In fact, this team makes you wonder what its record would have been if there were less injuries and less turnovers.

Against Dallas, though, sloppy play can be a killer.

The Cowboys are better than they were the last few years and they have almost as good of a chance to make the playoffs as the Eagles. Their defense looks weak, but it’s not. Some expected them to be one of the worst defensive units in NFL history. Quite the opposite, they have been holding their own more often than not.

Dallas’ offense is one of the best this season. Tony Romo has throwns for 22 touchdowns to six interceptions and ranks fourth in ESPN’s Total QB Rating with 78.9 (stats from Football Outsiders). He has issues with his back, but he has managed to stay healthy enough to play in all but one game.

DeMarco Murray is having a career year running behind a solid offensive line, while Dez Bryant has ten touchdowns and almost 880 receiving yards. The Eagles’ defense will have its hands full on Thursday.

The significance of the game, the Eagles’ shaky play so far in the 2014 season and their inability to win big games on the road – they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers, won only the game in Indianapolis against the Colts – make this game the most important of the season.

If the Eagles win, not only the become the NFC East’s favorites, but they will make a big statement: it’s a must-win game and we had what it take to claim victory. If they lose, thing get complicated. The will have to beat both the Seattle Seahawks and the Cowboys (they play again in two weeks time) to stay in the hunt for the divisional title. Winning one of three can leave the Birds fighting for a wildcard spot, having lost to two wildcard contenders.

The Philadelphia Eagles need to win in Dallas to avoid getting into trouble. While a win won’t settle the divisional battle, it will put the Cowboys in a tough spot. At the same time, it will take some pressure off of the Eagles and will improve the team’s morale.

Make sure you don’t miss this game, as well as the daily coverage from Inside The Iggles, before, during and after the game.