Did Philadelphia Eagles Just Hand No. 2 Seed Playoff Seed to 'Battle-Tested' Dallas Cowboys?

Did Philadelphia Eagles Just Hand No. 2 Seed Playoff Seed to 'Battle-Tested' Dallas Cowboys?

The Dallas Cowboys are now 11-5 on the year after a 20-19 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night, but that win didn't come without its fair share of controversy.

Ah, but what a difference a day makes, as on Sunday, the new "controversy'' in the NFC East is about the Philadelphia Eagles' incredible collapse, a 35-31 home loss to Arizona that all but hands the division title to Dallas.

"We need these (kind of) games," McCarthy said. "I think (the Cowboys) are going to be battle-tested and ready to go into playoffs.''

By "these kind of games,'' McCarthy meant challenges like existed against the Lions.

But you know what the Cowboys needed even more? They needed the Eagles to lose.

And suddenly, 11-5 Dallas controls its own destiny. A win next week at Washington (or a Eagles loss to the Giants) and the Cowboys will win the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

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The biggest talking point in the NFL on Sunday morning revolved around whether or not the officials made the right call on the Lions' game-deciding two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter, but at the end of the season, this game will be remembered as a Cowboys win at a critical juncture of the season.

McCarthy admitted as much after the game on Saturday, and while having blowout wins at home has been enjoyable for the Cowboys this season, a win like Saturday's can help prepare a team for the playoffs.

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"These are the kinds of games that character is enhanced and the adversity advancement that you need, and you train all year for,'' he said. "We've had a bit of an unusual year, just because of the margins of victory at home. So yes, we’ve got one more next week, but we knew this stretch was going to be rough and this is exactly what we needed."

Saturday wasn't a pristine performance from the Cowboys by any means, but it was enough to secure the win late. From a statistical standpoint, the talk of the night revolved around wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and his record-breaking performance of 227 receiving yards, giving him the most single-season receiving yards in franchise history, passing former Dallas great Michael Irvin.

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And you know what else it wasn't, despite its warts?

It wasn't a loss - something the Eagles cannot claim.

So, yes, "battle-tested'' matters. But the best way to do "battle-tested'' is by actually winning the battle. ... as it seems, in the NFC East, Dallas is about to do.