NFC East update: Eagles keep rising, but tough stretch ahead

The marquee game of Week 9 didn’t disappoint as the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles traded blows down to the final seconds. While the Cowboys showed well against the current conference leader, Philly got the win and tightened its grip on both the NFC East and the NFC as a whole.

The Eagles’ victory had a significant swing effect. If they’d lost, Dallas would now be 6-2, still undefeated in the division, and could move into first place with a likely win this Sunday against the Giants. But now Philly can go into its bye week comfortably perched atop both the NFC East and the conference, unable to be ousted no matter what happens in Week 10.

Just when you thought the Commanders were going into tank mode, trading away defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat before the deadline, they go get a road win over the Patriots. While Washington’s waffling keeps them out of the division discussion, they are still just a game out from a wild card spot.

As for the Giants, things are just going from bad to worse. After using QB Tyrod Taylor for a few weeks after a Daniel Jones injury, New York lost him to injury, but they got Jones back. Now Jones is lost for the year with a torn ACL. In what felt like a lost season almost as soon as it began, New York will now focus even more on the future.

Here are the NFC East standings going into Week 10:

• Philadelphia Eagles 8-1 (3-0 in division)
• Dallas Cowboys 5-3 (1-1 in division)
• Washington Commanders 4-5 (0-3 in division)
• New York Giants 2-7 (1-1 in division)

While the loss in Philadelphia was a tough one for Dallas, they still get to host the Eagles in Week 14 and take the head-to-head tiebreaker off the board. What’s more, between now and then, the team’s schedules couldn’t be more lopsided.

• DAL: NY Giants, @Carolina, Washington, Seattle
• PHI: BYE, @Kansas City, Buffalo, San Francisco

Where will the rivals stand going into their Week 14 rematch? If the Cowboys play like they have the last two weeks since their own bye, they could run the table and be 9-3. The Giants and Panthers may be the two worst teams in the NFL right now and the Commanders don’t know who they are. Seattle will be a tough game but at least it’s at home, where Dallas suddenly has become rather formidable with 11-straight victories.

The Eagles clearly have a much tougher road ahead. They certainly won’t lose all those games, if even one of them, but they haven’t exactly been dominant in several of their victories this year. Assuming the Bills and 49ers play up to their proven potential, these should all be solid tests of Philadelphia’s mettle.

Yes, the Cowboys are clearly now the second horse in the NFC East race. But there’s still Week 14 and plenty of other games still ahead to mitigate last Sunday’s result. Dallas proved they can trade blows with the reigning NFC champ, now hopefully the Cowboys can go on a run and take advantage of any Philadelphia missteps.