In less than 48 hours, the Cowboys will enter two consecutive weeks of redemption attempts. Last week on the twitter account, I was asked which loss hurt more, Week Seven in Philadelphia or Week 14 against the Giants. My response? The loss to the Eagles was flat-out embarrassing, but nothing hurt more than then crushing defensive collapse against New York. Over the course of eight days, Dallas will have the opportunity to avenge both of those defeats.
It's a strange scenario in a strange 2011 season. By themselves, neither game can extend or conclude the Cowboys campaign. Most of the playoff scenarios have been repeated ad nausea, but let's look at them again.
The Giants play the Jets in the 1:00 game on Saturday. If the Giants lose and the Cowboys beat the Eagles (4:14 EST kickoff), the NFC East is wrapped up. If both teams lose, then the Cowboys will need to win the Week 17 confrontation between the two teams. If the Giants win, then the Cowboys can't clinch the division until said final-week showdown, win or lose against Philly. However, if the Cowboys beat the Eagles and lose to New York, they could still make the playoffs as a Wild Card should Atlanta lose both of their remaining games.
Mixed into all of that, is the Eagles outside chance of winning the division with wins in their final two games and an 8-8 final record.
Got it? Good.
So with so much at stake, and so many possibilities waiting to unfold, I figured it would be the perfect time to break out Storylines. What do you think the headlines will read following the Christmas Eve tilt between heated and hated rivals?
Answer the poll, or provide your own headline in the comment section. Heck, go ahead and make a final score prediction if you're feeling froggy.