The reigning Super Bowl champs still have it all to do to reach the playoffs as they face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night
The atmosphere didn’t quite seep through the sealed glass press box at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, but it was enough to make you question just how soundproof the room was.
A comfortable 28-13 dismantling of division rivals the Washington Redskins was enough to keep the reigning Super Bowl champions in the hunt for the playoffs, but they still have it all to do.
And let’s not forget that the win, despite the fervent occasion, was against an opponent that has been on the slide since the opening weeks of the campaign and will now finish the season with their backup quarterback’s backup, Mark Sanchez, who couldn’t hit the Atlantic Ocean with a tennis ball.
Oh, and then there was this, the infamous Thanksgiving ‘butt fumble’:
Yeah… That guy.
Still, the Eagles offense looked dangerous, with Carson Wentz throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Adams, an undrafted rookie in for the injured London-born star Jay Ajayi, put up his second straight game of rushing over 80 yards. He looked every bit the real deal.
In fact, the only blip in an otherwise comprehensive victory came from the defensive unit, who allowed Adrian Peterson the freedom of Philadelphia for a 90-yard touchdown, both the longest of his career and in Redskins history.
The Eagles (6-6) are now only a game behind America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys (7-5), in the race for the NFC East. They suffered a defeat to Dallas only four weeks ago, but look much improved since that encounter, in which tight end Zach Ertz caused all kinds of problems for the Dallas defense, receiving 14 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Similarly, the Cowboys look to be a much tighter outfit at this point in the season and are coming off the back of an impressive defensive display against the otherwise rampant New Orleans Saints, limiting Drew Brees to only 127 yards passing and grinding out the 13-10 win.
Ezekiel Elliott continues to shine and leads the NFL with 240 carries and 1,150 yards. He scored two touchdowns when the sides last met, and is looking better than ever as a receiver as the Cowboys continue to integrate him into their passing game.
They remain the favorites for Sunday night’s showdown at their home, the AT&T Stadium, Texas, but this is now the third must-win encounter in a row for the Eagles after their comeback win against the Giants and Monday night’s defeat of the Redskins. They’re getting pretty good at this whole ‘under pressure’ thing.
With last year’s playoff heroics still lingering in the memory, it’ll be difficult to bet against them.
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