From NFC Beasts to NFC Least: What’s gone wrong with the Cowboys and Eagles

Ralph Vacchiano

NFC East Reporter

Things looked grim for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday after they were blown out by the Buffalo Bills. All that momentum they had built was suddenly gone — likely along with their chances to win the NFC East.

There was only one thing that could make it all feel better. It happened when the Seattle Seahawks rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles the next night.

“It was marvelous,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during his weekly interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “I couldn’t sleep until 4 in the morning because of the impact it can have on our year.”

The loss by the Eagles did indeed keep the Cowboys alive in the race for the NFC East title and the coveted home playoff game that comes with it. But there’s another reason why Philly’s stunning, 20-17 defeat was so comforting to a Cowboys team that had just lost 31-10 to the Bills:

Misery loves company.

And right now, there’s a lot of misery atop the once-powerful NFC East.

Granted, these are problems most teams would love to have, but both the Eagles (10-4) and Cowboys (10-4) looked very vulnerable last weekend. The Eagles have looked that way for three weeks in a row. It’s a somewhat stunning turn of events given that just two weeks earlier, when the Eagles were getting ready to play in Dallas, the game was billed as a possible preview of the NFC Championship game.

Now, neither team looks like a lock to reach it. And they certainly appear to be a notch below the San Francisco 49ers (11-3), who have blown out both squads this season.

How have things gone wrong so quickly for these two NFC East “powerhouse” teams? Here’s a closer look.

Cowboys at Dolphins: will Dallas be able to avoid a second straight loss?

Deflating defenses

The standards were high on defense for both of these teams, which is why their shortcomings are so prominent. The Eagles’ defense had a ridiculous 70 sacks last season and helped power the team to the Super…


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Publish date : 2023-12-21 21:27:52

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