Even In Bye Week, Eagles Become Stronger NFC Contender
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles were off this week, but they managed to see their case as one of the top NFC contenders gain some momentum. With the Seattle Seahawks getting upset on the road at St. Louis, the Eagles may have been given an extra leg up in the hunt for home-field advantage in the NFC. Of course, the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys also took a big step forward and the Arizona Cardinals gained some more control of the NFC West. If the Eagles are going to take flight in the fight for home field advantage in the NFC, it will likely require a win on the road next Sunday at Arizona.
The Cardinals are now 5-1 this season, an identical record as the Eagles. Next week’s match-up in the desert will be a significant test for each franchise and will give the winner an advantage later on in case of tiebreakers. The last time the Eagles and Cardinals played a meaningful game may have been the 2009 NFC Championship Game. Arizona had the home field advantage in that one, and it was the Cardinals who moved on to the Super Bowl that season to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Times have changed, and so have the rosters, but the importance riding on this regular season game is still worth respecting. Of course, there is still plenty of football to be played after next weekend, but any advantage that can be obtained now is nice to have.
The Eagles will also now officially be chasing the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. Dallas handed the New York Giants a loss on Sunday afternoon to improve to 6-1 this season. Dallas will host Washington next week, with a solid chance to move to 7-1. Like the Eagles, Dallas still has to play Arizona before the Thanksgiving game, so it is time to pay close attention to the Cardinals for fans of the Eagles and Cowboys.
The Cowboys were heralded for their victory on the road last week at Seattle, the home of the defending Super Bowl champions. That praise should be re-evaluated some this week after the Seahawks were upset on the road by the St. Louis Rams. It was just the second win of the season for the Rams. The only other game won by St. Louis this season came in a two-point decision at Tampa Bay. Every team has a bad loss from time to time, but this one was the second straight for Seattle and dropped them to 3-3.
With no disrespect intended to the Cardinals or whoever comes out of the NFC North or NFC South, it is the Eagles and Cowboys that are beginning to be recognized as the top contenders in the NFC. A recent column on NFL.com took a closer look at both NFC East rivals and asked if this is legitimate or fools gold. In fairness, the Eagles have not looked particularly strong for much of the first half of the season but have managed to dig deep enough to scratch together some wins. Dallas has a dubious history of strong starts followed by implosions in late November into December. Will this season continue those trends, or can either grab control of the NFC and make a run to the Super Bowl?
Oh yes, it is not even Halloween but the playoff chase is most definitely on in the NFC.
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
