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The Dallas Cowboys just got a huge Christmas gift when the Philadelphia Eagles upset the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. With the loss by the Giants, Dallas has captured the NFC East crown. In addition, they are now the #1 seed for the NFC playoffs meaning that they will have a first-round bye and they will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through Dallas.
The Giants were a red-hot team until tonight, when Eli Manning became ‘Bad Eli’ and threw three interceptions to a struggling Eagles squad. Crucial penalties hurt the Giants cause and the Eagles took advantage.
Last year the Cowboys were an abysmal 4-12 and finished last in the NFC East. This year, they are 12-2 at this point of the season and newly-crowned champs. They now have to decide how to play the final two games of the season. They don’t want to take their foot completely off the gas pedal, but they also want to be smart about who they play and how much they play. There are plenty of injured guys who could use a couple weeks rest before they play again.
Whatever they decide, it feels good to win the East and be the bosses of the NFC conference heading into the playoffs.