'Absolutely' NFC's Best? Jerry Jones Confident in Dallas Cowboys vs. Eagles & 49ers

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones provided an update on his team's standing in the NFC after the San Francisco 49ers dominated the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.

The football world came to the consensus that there are two tiers of NFC playoff teams: the three Super Bowl contenders and everyone else. In Week 13, San Francisco took fans back to the drawing board. Are the 49ers a tier above the rest of the conference?

In beating the Eagles (in Philadelphia) 42-19, San Francisco put the league on notice and added even more importance to Week 14’s edition of Sunday Night Football. The nightcap will feature the Dallas Cowboys hosting Philadelphia with a chance to force a tie atop the NFC East.

From there, a crucial home stretch and some tie-breaking procedures will decide Dallas’ fate. For now, though, all eyes are on the Eagles. Philadelphia gave the Cowboys their only loss since Week 5’s dismal outing against the 49ers, interrupting a stretch of six wins and MVP-caliber play from quarterback Dak Prescott.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott scrambling against the Eagles / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

With a red-hot Prescott and a defense that has proven to be dynamic, even in its lesser outings, owner Jerry Jones is as confident as ever.

“Do I think we have a chance to beat either one of those teams? Absolutely I do. Absolutely we can,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning. “I think we have an outstanding chance here Sunday against Philadelphia. I think it won’t be the same game when we play any of these teams a second time. It never is.”

Dallas is 4-4 in its last eight meetings with the division rival and will look to continue the NFC East’s most notable trend: no team has won the division in consecutive years since the Eagles did from 2001 to 2004. Philadelphia took the crown last season on its way to a Super Bowl appearance.

Jones and the Cowboys have every right to be confident, especially with how well the offense has been playing. However, that same offense wasn’t good enough to overcome late-game miscues and the Eagles’ absurd amount of offensive superstars just a few weeks ago.

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If they do get past Philadelphia, the 49ers enter the conversation as next on the list of Dallas’ demons to exorcise. Having beaten both NFC titans by a combined 53 points, they are rightfully the most feared team in the conference, if not the entire league.

On paper, San Francisco’s advantage over the Cowboys linebackers is a problem. But this offense is miles ahead of where it was during Week 5’s loss, and keeping pace with the 49ers (and thus remaining two-dimensional) invites some variance into the equation.

Even so, sizing up San Francisco is fruitless if Dallas can’t beat Philadelphia on Sunday. Expect this one to live up to the hype.