The second half of the 2025 season starts with the Eagles soaring above their rivals in the NFC East. The next eight weeks may be little more than a formality for the presumptive division champions, but they haven’t clinched anything yet. And at this point, the Cowboys seem to be the only team with a chance of thwarting them.
Philly snuck out of Lambeau Field with a victory last Monday night, being the less ugly team in a game neither deserved to win. They’re now the number-one seed in the NFC and just knocked off arguably their toughest remaining opponent, so the next two months could be a gravy train toward the playoffs.
Still, with eight games to go and one of them a head-to-head, the Cowboys aren’t out of this thing. They need to make up four wins to move past Philadelphia, so long as one of those is against the Eagles in Week 12. The odds are certainly against us, but the outcome is far from certain.
Here are the NFC East standings going into Week 11:
- Philadelphia Eagles 7-2 (2-1 in division, 6-1 vs NFC)
- Dallas Cowboys 3-5-1 (2-1, 2-4-1)
- Washington Commanders 3-7 (1-1, 1-6)
- New York Giants 2-8 (1-3, 1-6)
Obviously, games like Dallas’ next one against the Raiders are must-wins if this miracle can be performed. With the Eagles, Chiefs, and Lions coming up, the Cowboys have to use this Vegas game to work off any bye week rust, put last week’s tragedy behind them, and work their new faces into the defensive mix. Thankfully, the Raiders are struggling enough that you can do all that and still have a good shot at winning.
The Eagles got out of Green Bay like bandits, but they probably won’t be able to survive another poor offensive showing against the Lions. For the Cowboys’ purposes, this is probably a must-lose game for Philly. Again, we’re looking at this solely in the context of Dallas still winning the NFC East. One could argue that a Detroit loss is better, as a potential wild card team, for the Cowboys’ actual chances of making the playoffs.
The Commanders and Giants are barely relevant at this point, but there may be times they can indirectly help Dallas. That’s certainly true of New York this week as they host the Packers. Dallas could use a Green Bay loss both for the wild card race and to improve the Packers’ 2026 first-round pick. Washington is less helpful, facing the AFC’s Dolphins.
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