Someone has to make sense of the mess that is the NFC East soon right? The Dallas Cowboys stand atop this burning trash-pile with much more bark than bite. The Eagles cling to the inflammatory refuse that is their 2013 campaign with the hope of a small child trying to play with the big kids for the first time. On the outside of this inferior play-pen are the Washington Redskins, who continue to acquire wins despite the horrendous play of their face-of-franchise. So far away from relevancy that they weren’t even invited to burn the NFC East’s effigy of the 2013 season are the Giants who, now three games behind the Cowboys, appear farther away from a playoff appearance with each snap of the football. The battle is on for who gets to lose to a wild card team in the first round of the playoffs, and all four inept franchises are along for the ride.
Dallas Cowboys(5-4) 27 Minnesota Vikings(1-7) 23
A tale all too familiar to Dallas’ faithful nearly came to fruition again on Sunday. Despite tossing yet another fourth quarter interception, Tony Romo was able to recoup and lead his team back from the dead against a horrific Vikings team. Despite Adrian Peterson ‘s grown-man performance, Minnesota was unable to score when it counted against the NFL’s worst defensive unit. While Christian Ponder certainly didn’t lose the game for the Vikings with his mediocre performance of 236 yards one touchdown and one interception, he did not contribute enough in the game’s biggest moment, as Minnesota failed to convert a Romo interception into points, and returned the ball to Dallas’s favorite son with 2:44 left in regulation. Romo finished off the Vikings, and continued the Cowboys’ reign of terror over the NFC East.
Dallas should not get too excited after their dominant victory over Minnesota. Despite allowing DeMarco Murray to return, the Cowboys passed on 87 percent of their offensive snaps, which is detrimental due to a lack of balance to the team’s offense. Teams will be able to prototype Dallas’s play calling if this trend continues. According to ESPN.com, Dallas is the 38th team in the Super Bowl era to run the ball fewer than 10 times in a game, and only the second team to win said contest. If the Cowboys can’t find rhythm to their ground game, wins like this will be few and far between in their future. Dallas cannot continue to run such a faced paced offense, and tire out an underperforming defensive unit. Romo is not the type of quarterback that thrives under pressure, so running such a pass-heavy attack is far from beneficial to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
Washington Redskins(3-5) 30 San Diego Chargers(4-4) 24
OT in D.C. Despite 25 first downs, 410 total yards, and holding Robert Griffin III to under 300 passing yards, San Diego was unable to stop a powerful Redskins offense, and began its fall out of playoff contention. Alfred Morris marked his territory with 25 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown on the Chargers’ 24th ranked rushing defense. San Diego had no answer for Morris and Pierre Garcon. With seven catches for 172 yards, Garcon showed off that he is more than just a deep threat as the number one option in Washington’s offense. While it shouldn’t have taken extra time for Washington to send the Chargers back to San Diego in defeat, a team struggling to stay afloat in a playoff race will take its wins wherever it can get them.
The Chargers have been difficult to figure out this year. Philip Rivers and company are one of the best passing offenses in the league averaging 300 yards per game, which is good enough for 4th in the NFL. Despite Rivers’ areal dominance, the 20th ranked rushing team in football must find its balance on offense. Without more contributions from Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, there is little hope for realization of the Bolts’ playoff aspirations. Match an imbalanced offense with one of the league’s worst defensive units, and you have a rebuilding project named the Chargers. Washington has an outside chance at a playoff appearance, but has its work cut out for it with upcoming games against Philadelphia, San Francisco, Kansas City, Dallas, and the Atlanta Falcons. It will be an uphill battle, but the Redskins can hold out hope in the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles(4-5) 49 @ Oakland Raiders(3-5) 20
Not many can enter the black hole and survive. Chip Kelly and company emerged from the depths of the Oakland Coliseum with a victory, and playoff aspirations intact. A recently-stagnant offense received the boost it needed in the form of quarterback Nick Foles who tied the single game passing touchdown record with seven scores in the contest. Foles joined Peyton Manning and Y.A. Tittle as the only men to ever record seven passing touchdowns with zero interceptions in a single game. Despite laying waste to the Raiders’ secondary, there remains a lining that is not so silver from the Eagles win.
Billy Davis’ unit allowed just 20 points against the Raiders, but surrendered 560 yards of total offense to an Oakland team devoid of its offensive playmakers. Darren McFadden and Terrelle Pryor both exited the game early due to injury, which meant it was the Rashad Jennings and Matthew McGloin show. The two combined for an additional 200 yards of offense, and the Raiders would have had hope, if not for the Eagles offense. Philadelphia’s bend but not break defense was tested all afternoon, but the Raiders had no answer for Foles and his explosive offense. DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper both exceeded the 130 yard receiving mark, and accounted for four of the team’s seven receiving touchdowns. The Eagles are just a game behind division-leading Dallas for first in the NFC East, but will take one of the league’s most high-powered offenses to Green Bay for their next game. If the Eagles can split their next two against the Packers and Redskins before their bye in Week 12, the Birds’ will be in good shape to contend for an NFC title.