On Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in a game that could very well decide the NFC East Divisional Championship. These two teams both sit at 9-4, and firmly atop of the division. With three games remaining on the schedule, neither club can afford a mis-step, as the loser of this division could miss out on a Wildcard berth in a heavily competitive NFC.
Big-Time Rematches Fuel NFL Week 15
These teams met up a few weeks back in a Thanksgiving Day contest that saw the Eagles hand the Cowboys an embarrassing 33-10 defeat in Dallas, and to be certain the ‘Boys will be looking for revenge this time around. The key to how this game plays out will be if “America’s Team” is able to make the adjustments necessary to compete with their foes.
On Thanksgiving, it wasn’t difficult to see what was happening. The Eagles uptempo offense overwhelmed the Cowboys’ “D”. LeSean McCoy ran the ball effectively, Mark Sanchez was highly efficient, and the offense kept up a torrid pace for four quarters.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Cowboys’ offense couldn’t get anything done against an underrated Philly defense that makes its living on takeaways. DeMarco Murray was held to only 73 yards on the ground to go along with a per carry average of 3.6 yards. Tony Romo was held without a touchdowns pass and threw two costly interceptions.
Clearly, the Eagles had their opponents well-scouted and were very prepared for that match-up. Now, only two weeks later Dallas has to show that it can do the same. You can tell a lot about a team by the way it adjusts to its opponent on a short turnaround, and this could be the game that defines the Cowboys’ season. It’s a biggie, folks.
Speaking of adjustments to Thanksgiving defeats, we are about to be treated to another divisional rematch from Turkey Day when the San Francisco 49ers travel to Seattle to face their NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks.
These two teams have been going in opposite directions ever since the Seahawks picked up a convincing 19-3 win over the ‘Niners that night, and this one has the potential to be very exciting. At 9-4, a win here would keep the Seahawks firmly in the NFC West race with the 11-3 Arizona Cardinals, whereas a defeat would in essence destroy any playoff hopes the 7-6 49ers have. Both teams have a great deal at stake in this one, and it’s reasonable to expect a much more closely contested game, even if Seattle has the distinct home-field advantage this time around.
It will ultimately come down to how the San Francisco offense fares against Seattle’s elite defense. Colin Kaepernick and company have struggled to put points on the board recently, with only a combined 16 points over the last two contests, and it won’t get any easier at CenturyLink Field. They know they have to bring their A-game to this one. It’s always a big-game atmosphere when these two clubs face off and this weekend shouldn’t be any different.
Fans are in for a real treat this week. There are multiple divisional match-ups on the docket, and many games with huge playoff implications to be played as well. Thanks for reading, everyone. Enjoy this week’s slate of games.
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