No one wants to take control of the NFC East. With a chance to stay a game ahead of the Eagles and cripple the Giants’ division title hopes, the Dallas Cowboys instead fell short at the Meadowlands on Sunday.
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That leaves everything up in the air as we head into the season’s final four games. Dallas now is tied for first with Philadelphia at 8-4 and both teams are just a game ahead of resurgent New York, which holds the tiebreaker against Dallas by virtue of a head-to-head season sweep. The Giants (7-5) shook off a string of five losses in six games with a 31-24 victory. They trailed, 10-0, late in the second quarter, but scored two touchdowns in just 91 seconds. Two more big touchdowns won it for them in the second half — a 74-yard pass to running back Brandon Jacobs and a 79-yard punt return by Domenik Hixon
So who wants it? We’ll know soon. But Philadelphia — for now, at least — is in the best position. The Eagles took advantage of Dallas’ loss with a decisive 34-7 win at Atlanta. They also still have games left against both the Cowboys and the Giants. They see New York next Sunday night in the NBC game. Dallas, meanwhile, is the regular-season finale on Jan. 3. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, both games are on the road. Sandwiched in between are home games with San Francisco and Denver.
The Cowboys are still tied for first, obviously — but there are plenty of ominous signs. They host San Diego (9-3) and travel to New Orleans (12-0) the next two weeks. Then comes a game they should win against the Redskins (3-9) — though they were lucky to escape with a 7-6 victory over Washington at home last month.
Can the Giants erase memories of their 40-17 thrashing at Philadelphia on Nov. 1? They’ll need that one to give themselves a shot at the division title. A loss there and New York is right back on the playoff bubble fighting for the final spot with Green Bay (7-4). New York closes out the regular season with games at Washington and Minnesota and home vs. Carolina.
