Cowboys In Control! Eagles Collapse Means Dallas Favored to Win NFC East, No. 2 Playoff Seed

Cowboys In Control! Philadelphia Eagles Collapse Means Dallas Favored to Win NFC East, No. 2 Playoff Seed

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have been talking for weeks about how they'd better prepare to play all of their NFC playoff games on the road.

They were wrong.

Following the Cowboys' controversial win on Saturday night against the Detroit Lions ... and the Philadelphia Eagles' shocking Sunday loss to the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals at home ...

"America's Team'' is large and in charge in the NFC East.

That's right. In the parlance, Dallas is "in control of its own destiny.'' Forget all the tiebreakers and the complications and the headaches and the "what-if's.'' It's simple now.

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If the Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders in Week 18 at FedEx Field, the Cowboys move to 12-5 - for the third straight season under coach Mike McCarthy - and win the division. 

They can also clinch the division if the Eagles lose to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium next week. ... which seems unlikely.

Of course, Philly dropping to 11-5 and losing to a bad Cardinals team seemed unlikely, to be fair. 

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Also to be fair: Dallas' most embarrassing loss of the year also came at the hands of the Cardinals. So ... stuff happens.

But what just happened puts the Niners in the No. 1 seed ... and otherwise puts the Cowboys in control.

Late Saturday, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy reflected on the hard-fought win.

"We need these games," McCarthy said. "I think they’re going to be battle-tested and ready to go into playoffs.''

The Cowboys needed these games. And they needed a break. And the Eagles just gifted it to them, right in time for a happy new year.