Are the Redskins the key to the division..?

by gee-roj on Nov 20, 2009 10:11 AM CST

Conventional wisdom would seem to favor the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants all splitting their season series with each other; this would make all three of them 2-2 in the division when removing the Redskin games. I personally believe that these match-ups are going to work a little differently this year in that the Eagles are going to sweep the Giants; the Giants will sweep Dallas, and the Cowboys will sweep the Eagles, but the end result is the same; 2-2 for each of those 3 in the division minus the Redskins games.

Add to that the non-divisional games like Oakland, San Diego, and New Orleans. Both the G-men and Iggles have already lost to both the Chargers and Saints and I think it's reasonable to believe that the Cowboys will drop one of their games against these two.

The tricky part then remains who is going to lose to the Redskins because mark my words someone will. No team has ever gone winless in NFC East match ups and it's not going to happen this year either. I think it's reasonable to assume that the team (or teams) that loses to the Redskins will miss out on the divisional crown this year.

I say it all the time but I'll say it (or write it) again now; it's not who you play but who you play when you play them and I would have much preferred to have played the Redskins a few weeks ago then now. If there is any good to come out of the Green Bay game it's that the Redskins should face a more focused and motivated Cowboys team than they might have otherwise seen.

The Cowboy offense will likely have to be very patient on sunday as the points will likely be hard to come by.... At first.

But the defense should hold it's and eventually that Redskin armor will chink. Of course if the Cowboy offense can get out to an explosive start and build something like a 14-0 lead then the game could be over as the Redskins aren't really built to put a lot of points up quickly.

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I think this weekend's slate has a few "keys"...

A win against the Redskins puts the ’Boys at 2-1 against the division, which is a step in the right direction as far as the divisional tie-breakers go.

Also, I think this weekend’s playoff implications are flying way under the radar.

Giants play Atlanta, and the loser of this game can almost kiss their playoff chances goodbye. Whichever team loses would basically have to win out to be in the running for the Wildcard (Moreso Atlanta, but the Giants could find themselves deep behind in the divisional race)

Ditto above for Eagles v. Bears. If the Eagles win (Which I think they will) the Bears season is toast. If the Bears can pull out a win, the Eagles will drop to one game above .500…. Not a good spot for a squad hunting a division title.

Minor intrigue also from the GB/SF game, as there is a similar situation to the Giants/Falcons game, but each team is even more desperate.

All in all, if the Falcons, Niners and Bears can pull out wins this weekend, the division title will be within reach of the Cowboys. If the opposite happens (NY/PHI/GB), we can pretty much tell which teams will be in the playoffs, assuming the rest of the season plays out similarly to it’s current pace…. But the division will be a little more muttled.

But this is the NFL……

by tkosmith on Nov 20, 2009 10:25 AM CST reply actions

Oops

I meant a loss for the Eagles would drop them TO .500. Fail.

by tkosmith on Nov 20, 2009 10:28 AM CST up reply actions

I agree. But i do think the chances of cowboys, eagles and giants splitting with the skins is really high. This game sunday has me a bit wary.

I think the key will be a better record. Gotta beat teams like Atlanta and Seattle and other in conference games.

"On a journey to anywhere you can draw your own map."

by saidseven on Nov 20, 2009 10:42 AM CST reply actions

Cowboys have to beat the remaining East teams

if they want to win the East, it’s that simple. One loss to any of them and we’re looking at a WC.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Nov 20, 2009 10:46 AM CST reply actions

Are you sure Terry...

I know it sounds like Im a Homer, and I wont deny that fact, but as healthy as our team is, going into the last part of the season, I like our chances against the remaining non-conference games…I believe we can and possibility still seems there that we can beat the limping Giants in the Meadowlands…If the Boys can have the same type of game(and by that I mean dominate them) against the Giants as we did the first game without all the penalties, turnovers, then I say we can take them…The Skins dont worry me in the least, cause they are limping bad…No Portis, and Haynesworth is hobbling, I dont see how they can match up to us…If we can just find something in our "chemical make-up(????) to give us the drive and the passion for the game that we have had so far, I say the sky is the limit…Romo is a stud, no doubt about it…he can light it up with just about anybody out there…If we could just get our O-Line to be more effective covering the blitz schemes of defenses, we could do this my friend…

Im not going to believe the Saints are un-beatable until they prove it against us…Im sure they will welcome us with open arms in the Big Easy, cause if they do get by us, then there season is going to be a perfect one…Favre is very, very old, and getting pounded a lot out there…I dont believe his Vikes are that good either…They barely made the playoffs last year, so Im predicting a melt-down for them pretty soon…maybe, maybe not…I dont know why I believe this, but I see us taking the bye-week this year into the play-offs…Laugh if you will but last year at this time the Jets were being shoo-ed into the SuperBowl, and we seen what happened there…

As for Philthy again this year?…Im hoping against hope we dont have to play them for the Division Championship, but if you asked me right now if the Eagles can win their next 5 out of seven games…Id say no way…They know and understand the predicament they are in, but I do not believe they have the firepower that they are going to need to beat good defensive team like the Cowboys, and the Broncos…now throw in Atlanta, and the Giants in the Meadowlands, and your talking some very hefty games that they are going to have to win…and all of them except Atlanta are going to be on the road…We shall see…But I do not believe we HAVE TO WIN the rest of the East games to take the Division…JMO…

FEAR THE STAR

by Hawgz, Bugz, and FilthyFowl Hater on Nov 20, 2009 11:15 AM CST reply actions

the reason I say that is because I believe

at the end of the season, either Eagles or GMen will be 11-5 and we need to have a better divisional record to win the East and the only way we do that is to win our remaining East games.

Theoretically you are correct that we don’t have to, but extremely unlikely.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Nov 20, 2009 1:14 PM CST up reply actions

neither of those teams look capable of going 6-1 right now

I think your giving them a little too much credit.

by foyesboys on Nov 20, 2009 3:04 PM CST up reply actions

I hope so but Eagles always finish strong

although you might be right about the Giants

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Nov 21, 2009 10:37 AM CST up reply actions

This may sound simple ,

but the blitz up the middle has killed us for a few years now. Until we handle that effectively, teams are going to keep doing it. We will need a strong running game against the skins and right now Felix does not have the pop that he did before the injury. Choice is the most solid back we have right now so use him. If they are coming up the middle use our speed on the edges or even an end around or flea flicker. Getting Romo in the pocket under the pressure he had in Green Bay is going to get him killed .They have the tools to deal with this, I just didn’t see any adjustment made to do it. Add to this that the Cowboys did appear to be flat and Roy’s oopses and we were lucky we didn’t get half our offensive line injured. We can fix it and win the next few games. Go Cowboys

by oldboysfan on Nov 20, 2009 3:39 PM CST reply actions

i dont know if anybody else has posted this but i believe dallas has indeed swept the nfc east in a season before.

by DavidLaFleur on Nov 20, 2009 4:43 PM CST reply actions

they have, I think it was '99, the year Jake Plummer and Cards beat us in the playoffs

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Nov 21, 2009 10:38 AM CST up reply actions

hmm nevermind, you said winless, i misunderstood, stupid beer.

by DavidLaFleur on Nov 20, 2009 4:44 PM CST reply actions

Just FYI

I believe Dallas was 8-0 in the NFC East in 1998, and the Giants were 7-0-1 in 1997. Hard to believe that with all the dominant Cowboy teams since 1970, only once have they gone undefeated within their division. Almost did it in 1983!

by DavidH22 on Nov 20, 2009 9:47 PM CST up reply actions

That's a testament to just how competitive the East has been over the years

The NFC East is the NFL’s poster cild for the ‘On Any Given Sunday’ tagline.

"Emotion is highly overrated in football. My wife Corky is emotional as hell but can't play football worth a damn."

- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

by 5Blings on Nov 22, 2009 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

The skins may not be the key

but if we lose this weekend, this season is officially in trouble.

Last week had all the makings of a let down game, a big win this week can restore a lot of confidence in this cowboys team. They need games like this to start and rewrite their recent late season stumbles.

The skins beating a denver team quarterbacked by Chris Simms does not tell me that they are turning their season around and I think their record is a fairly accurate reflection of that team’s talent and coaching.

by Billito on Nov 20, 2009 8:44 PM CST reply actions

The gints just lost pierce for an unknown amount of time.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/11/20/antonio-pierce-out-indefinitely/

http://www.bigblueview.com/2009/11/20/1167442/antonio-pierce-out-indefinitely

Ignore the Mainstream Media, EMBRACE THE HATE!!!!

by cowboy78 on Nov 20, 2009 10:28 PM CST reply actions

Theoretically Terry..

You are definitely giving the Iggles, and the Ginas way to much lee-way win wiselllI DO NOT SEE either of them being more than 10-6 and Im stretching it at that…3-4 or 4-3 is all Im going to give them…they are very deeply hurt, and reeling from the loss of very key players…Yeah, we have technically lost Colombo for the season, but I see Free not ony improving but at times dominating a few DB…Hamlin, though we dont know how long he will be out, will also be missed, but we got slot secondary help…Ball and finally we get to see if Mike Hamlin is going to be able to help us in the coming future…

Look, the way I see it aand so far I have not been proven wrong by any stretch of the imagination, I believe we picked so really good “in your face” draft choices…I grant you that they are not first or 2nd round choices, but just think Terry, even your “crowned prince” Romo wasnt drafted…Weve got to have faith at some time with our draft choices…We knew coming into this season, and in the preseason that we were an Offensive Line challenged team…Meaning we had very, very, good starters, but very little in depth, or bench players…We also knew what would be the impact if 1 or 2 of these starters was injured…NOW WE KNOW!!!!…Im just glad its only one right now, and that we have enough experienced players to school Free along until he can be the clutch player he needs to be, all on his own…

Im going to tell you right now, the Ginas and the Iggles dont have the luxury of just 1 or 2 players out, but are hurt very deeply experience wise…I believe by the time it comes that we really need him to step up Free will be not only OK, hell be an impact player…Our rivals tried to buy talent, and in doing so forgot that the talent they did have, was aging and would probably at some time need a fresh infusion of blood…Now that they need it they do not have the back-up talent to pull them up…Surely you can see that Philthy, and NY do not have the same calibre of talent that they had in 2007, and 2008…Philthy gave up half or more of their defense from last year(Considine, Thomas, Dawkins, and Sheppard)…Now thaty they need that experience, and veteran play they do not have it to call upon…A few weeks back i said"they have the talent to win it all, but dont have the experience to get there"…I stand by my words more than ever…To many young, talented player, and not enough experience to know how raw, and undeveloped that talent really is…Instead of going back to Philly and studying their flaws, and their mistakes against when we beat them what did they do instead?…they choose to blame everybody, and the kitchen help for their loss…and they will let that bitter loss be what destroys them each and every week if they dont watch out…

I have always said that the Cowboys are a classy organization, and will not let a set back deter them from their objective…TO tried to do that and to a degree succeeded…Instead of shutting his mouth and concentrating on what HE could do better, he chose to BLAME Romo, and others for his failures…TO never took responsibility on himself…JJ seen this and having evaluated his talent, without the help of TO, and the rest of the “cancer” we had, he saw raw talent that had to be developed, and he also saw developed talent that was aging, and would eventually undermine what he was trying to do…Now that we are rid of that sickness , well it is up to a veteran core of players to now step up, and play their best football, and try to incorporate more of the younger players into the line-up as fast as we can…Its called strategic planning, and I see it working every week as we draw closer to our goal…Truthfully, I see a better, more talented team of players this year in Dallas, than I seen with them while the “other reciever” was here…JMO…

FEAR THE STAR

by Hawgz, Bugz, and FilthyFowl Hater on Nov 21, 2009 12:28 AM CST reply actions