Dallas 24 - New Orleans 17

That is why they play the games and don't listen to all of the talking heads on TV and the sports talk show host on the radio or actually read a online blogs from an idiot user on CBS. Because no one, including me, gave Dallas a chance to beat the Saints on Saturday Night. And then they did it.

Was it a must-win game for Dallas? No, but it was pretty close in my opinion knowing their playoff tiebreakers. The Cowboys were swept by the Giants this season, meaning if they finished tied with the G-Men, they're playing golf in January while the Giants travel on the road for a Divisional Playoff game. It is even more likely now that the Eagles-Cowboys Week 17 game will not only decide the NFC East, but the playoff fate for Dallas and the New York Football Giants.

And speaking of those Giants, did you see that beatdown they put on the Redskins last night? Sure the Redskins looked lost and Jim Zorn probably lost his job last night if he hadn't already secured a pink slip, but that was the Giants team that I remember from years past and earlier this September. I wrote in my breakdown last Saturday that Eli wasn't playing all that well, and I was very wrong. User TuckYou correctly pointed out that Eli is having one of his best statistical season, which he is. But I was stuck on a three game stretch in late October-Early November where the Giants lost three in a row (four total the next week to SD, but Eli was good in that game) to New Orleans, Arizona and Philly. Eli threw 6 INTs to 3 TDs in that stretch and completed around 50% of his passes. Most of the Giants wins, Eli has been completeing 60% or better and perhaps I focused too much on his injury and the Giants dismal defense, which by the way showed up big against Washington.

The Eagles took care of business against the 49ers last Sunday and still control their destiny for the playoffs. They have clinched a berth and also have a shot at the #2 seed in the NFC after the Vikings didn't show up against Carolina. More on the Vikes in a minute. But the Eagles desperately need to get healthy. Brain Westbrook is eyeing a return soon and would help take the pressure off rookie McCoy and fullback Weaver in the running game. WR Maclin also missed last Sunday's game and QB Mike Vick left the game with a thigh bruise. The Eagles need to be operating on all cylinders going into the playoffs, especially if the Eagles D continues to be gashed through the air. The Eagles are on a 5-game winning streak and have won 9 games straight in December. If the Vikings lose a game and the Eagles finished tied in overall record with them, they would have the tiebreaker based on conference record.

So how did last week's games affect the rest of the season? Well, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Week 17 games for the Eagles, Cowboys and Giants. But we can't look ahead just yet. Week 16 is still on the slate and for all of this to come down to the final week, each of the three East contenders need to take care of business this weekend too. Brian Dawkins makes his return to The Linc as the Broncos come to Philly. Both teams are in the hunt for the playoffs and while the Eagles have clinched a berth, they aren't resting on their laurels and niether will Denver in the muddled AFC Wild Card race. The Cowboys head to Washington to play the suddenly inept Redskins. Normally I trust the 'Skins to show up for their rivalry game like they did in a Week 11 loss, 7-6. But after last weeks preformance and the Cowboys thrashing of the Saints, there are only two potential outcomes here: blowout win or letdown game for Dallas. The Giants welcome Carolina, led by QB Matt Moore, to the Meadowlands. Carolina has looked better of late, beating the Vikes last week, but there are still questions about the Panthers. The Giants will have to be wary about this game and not let the Panthers' Steve Smith run through their secondary.

But the real fun begins Week 17, because if all goes well and the Eagles, Cowboys and Giants all win, well there's going to be a lot of scoreboard watching on Sunday. As of now, these games are slated for 1 PM EST, but that might change with the NBC Flex Sunday Night game. First, New York heads to Minnesota to play the Vikes. New York needs the game to still have a shot at the playoffs and the Vikings need it to hold on to the 2nd seed in the NFC and a first round bye. Minnesota also plays Chicago on MNF this week. Then the Eagles and Cowboys meet in Dallas to, in all likelyhood, decide the NFC East Divisional crown. The last time these two met it was a sluggish affair and I expect more of a shootout style in a couple of weeks. The Eagles secondary has been gashed through the air and two of the best young receivers in the game, DeSean Jackson and Miles Austin, will be on display with their big-play talents. Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo should both put on passing clinics and the defense will need to make plays to decide this game.

Overall, it's going to be a fun couple of weeks to end the season.

With only a few weeks left in the NFL's regular season there are only a few interesting races left in the NFL. The AFC East, AFC Wild Card and the NFC East, whose 2nd place finisher will likely grab the final wild card spot and 6th seed in the NFC playoffs. So, here's a brief breakdown on the four NFC East teams and a suprising pick for which team might have the most impact the final three games.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-4, 1st NFC East)

It's nice to see my Eagles back in first place, but there is still work to be done. The Eagles remaining three games are tough, but the first two are in Philly as the Eagles welcome the 49ers and the Broncos to Lincoln Financial the next two weeks before closing the year in Dallas. The Eagles will likely be favored in all three games, but all are tough outs. The 49ers have the offensive firepower to expose the weak Eagles defense, especially in the secondary. Crabtree and Davis could have big games for San Fran especially if the Eagles blitz packages aren't getting to the QB. The Eagles will be missing several key offensive weapons in Jeremy Maclin and Brian Westbrook, but Kevin Curtis and LeSean McCoy are likely to fill in. IF the Eagles can get healthy before the playoffs and continue to use Mike Vick effective, this will be a dangerous playoff team, and I think they're in, it's just a matter of where. I think the Eagles can win all three of their final games, but they really need the defense, linebackers and safties especially to step up. The Eagles are in control of their own destiny, win out and you win the division, and the Eagles usually play well late in the season, unlike...

2. Dallas Cowboys (8-5, 2nd NFC East)

Everyone's talking about how Dallas can't win in December. But have you seen their schedule this year? Three divisional games, two of which on the road, plus San Diego (best AFC team not named Indy) and New Orleans (best NFL team not named Indy). Seriously, that's brutal. And don't blame Mr. Jessica Simpson either, Romo's been pretty good all year. 5 TD's, 0 INTs this month too. I don't know who to blame really. All five of their losses have come against good teams, and I'm counting the Giants as good. Their early season loss to big Blue was when the Giants were beating everyone and their second loss was on the road. I don't see them beating the Saints, which means they have to beat Washington in DC and then the Eagles to close the season. They need to play well against the Saints to have a chance, even if they lose. And remember, the Skins outplayed them in the 7-6 Dallas win earlier this year and the Skins aren't an easy out, despite their putrid record.

3. New York Giants (7-6, 3rd NFC East)

The Giants are in a good spot here. They own the tiebreaker against the Cowboys and will know before their Monday Night game where they stand. It's a must win game for the Giants against the 'Skins because a win will either tie or keep pace with the Cowboys depending on their result with the Saints. I've been a firm believer that Eli Manning's foot injury has been more serious because his play has really suffered. Also, the Giants defense is so banged up, especially in the secondary that it is tough to judge this team with any accuracy. The one good news, they get a bad Carolina team at home, easiest game on the remaining slate for any of the playoff hunting NFC East teams (Washington doesn't count, divisional opponent, rivalry, etc.) I think they have a good chance to earn the final spot, and their final game at Minnesota could be a walkover if the Vikings rest players.

4. Washington Redskins (4-9, 4th NFC East)

Well, they canned Vinny Cerrato as GM or VP of Personnel or whatever his title is. Shame that 'Skins fans can't can their owner, who's been killing this franchise for years. Mr. Snyder, when was the last time your team had a surplus of draft picks? Oh that's right never...and you wonder why this team is never deep on the depth chart. In spite of all this, and the calling of Zorn's head too, this team fights, it always has. Jason Campbell has been effective at QB and the defense is stout as usually. There will be a lot of changes in the offseason to this team, but this team still has an important role to play in this season. They have a huge chance to play spoiler here for either New York or Dallas. If they beat either team, guaranteed that team doesn't make the playoffs. More so for Dallas since the Giants have the head-to-head tiebreaker. It's a shame that Washington is missing so many weapons in Cooley, Portis and Betts because they're not far away from being a good team. But they need to shake this losing mentality, and that means winning despite a terrible front office.

If you put a gun to my head right now, I say that the Eagles win the division and the Giants get the final playoff spot. I won't give records or scenarios, but that's what I'm thinking. The Giants beating Atlanta was huge in the playoff race as they are sitting alone at "#7" in the NFC Playoffs. I think they have a lot of tiebreakers and a favorable schedule and they are getting healthy. Dallas will miss out and probably can Wade Phillips and the 'Skins will likely can Zorn too, which is a shame since I like both coaches and blame the front offices for most of the problems each team has. My predictions will likey set up another Eagles-Giants game in the Divisional Playoffs, something that I'm not looking forward too.

But then again, neither are the all of the Giants fans I know here in CT. Enjoy the football and the snow on the East Coast everyone and have a safe and happy holiday season.

- Eagle

I'm going to try and not turn this into an Eagles recap, and I'm probably going to fail miserably so just a fair warning before I continue. I tried to follow the draft for the NFC East, especially on Day 1. But as I start with Dallas, there's an immeadiate problem...

DALLAS Cowboys

...umm, they didn't make a pick on the first Day. In fact, the only pick they had turned into a complete fiasco when they "passed" the pick before trading it away. Not a good start for the Cowboys in my opinion but they did have 12 picks on Day 2, and focused on defense and offensive skill positions. It's hard for me to grade players on Day 2 because I just don't know the best 200 players in college football. I do like their pickup of Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee, who is one player I did get to see a few times. Should be a solid backup behind Tony Romo.

Grade: N/A

NEW YORK Giants

I'm not going to lie (and I'm not hating) but I don't like the Giants draft for two reasons. They drafted two WRs with thier first four picks (which I always think is a draft no-no) and their first-round selection Hakeem Nicks from North Carolina is not a player I was in love with. I am not copying Pete Prisco by the way ( I mentioned this in my previous entry), but I've seen Nicks play and theres enough there to dislike. I love OL William Beatty from UConn in the 2nd round and QB Rhett Bomar in the 5th.

Edit (4/27): A friend of mine pointed out that the Giants have to replace Plaxico Burress and that drafting two WR's isn't a bad idea. This is a fantastic point that I overlooked. I still don't like Nicks, but I understand the Giants need at the position. They were awful late last season after Plaxico was suspended for the remainder of the season. Therefore, I'm upping the Giants grade from a C to a...

Grade: B-

WASHINGTON Redskins

The Redskins are usually a team that doesn't value the draft as much as other teams (Dan Synder loves free agents for some reason). But this year, they made an impact with the few picks they did have and it started right at the top with the 'Skins landing Brian Orakpo at No. 13 overall. They have to wonder a little bit how he fell that far, but they aren't going to complain. Again, with only 6 picks (2 in the first 3 rounds) it's hard to give them any reasonable grade, but stealing Orakpo is worth this grade alone.

Grade: B


PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Ah, let the homer comments begin. The Eagles had a fantastic first day, landing offensive weapons in WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy. However, they didn't have any 4th round picks and traded their only 3rd rounder for a 2010 pick, which is something the Eagles and the New England Patriots do quite often. This year, I thought the Eagles had a few needs on defense and one was addressed by aquiring Patriots CB Ellis Hobbs for two 5th-round picks. I was looking for the Eagles to take a safety at some point, but they took another CB in Victor Harris from VA Tech in the 5th round as well. The Eagles did pick up a TE in the 5th round by taking Cornelius Ingram who I've heard good things about. I expected a little more on the defensive side of the ball, but I can't be disappointed as an Eagles fan right now.

Grade: B+

Head Scratchers

Dallas/Oakland - It's Jerry Jones and Al Davis, I don't ask questions anymore.

Denver - I'm sorry Bronco fans (breaking out the Pitino voice) but John Elway isn't walking through that door. Terrell Davis isn't walking through that door. I have no idea what this organization has been doing for the entire off-season, but I think it started by firing former coach Mike Shanahan and it's only gotten worse. The Broncos franchise QB is in Chicago, they have 10 starting running backs after drafting Knowshon Moreno from Georgia at 12 overall and they don't have a 1st round pick next year to boot. This team and organization is a mess right now and 2009 isn't looking all that good in my opinion. Why did Brian Dawkins have to come to this mess...

Draft Notes

This is an unofficial stat because I was just browsing, but on Day 1, these were the schools that had the most players selected: Southern Cal (5), Ohio State (4) and UConn (4). Yeah, that's right University of Connecticut can play football now too and the NFL is noticing. Also, Miami (OH) had just as many players selected in the 2009 Draft as Miami (FL) with one selection each. I would go into my rant on how Miami (FL) [and BC] tried to kill Big East football, but I won't this entry is too long already.

Overall, this was another fantastic draft. EPSN does a great job with this event (and the Combine, Pro Days, etc.) that it almost is getting as much hype as the Super Bowl. I will never get tired of Chris Berman doing play-by-play on the draft picks highlight reels. I will never get tired of Kiper and McShay arguing, ever. I will get tired of trying to figure out every trade the Eagles pull off every year because no one reports it very well, and they trade often, leading to much cursing and refreshing of websites.

But something that will never get old: the New York heavy crowd chanting "USA!" in a tribute to the armed forces between rounds at the Draft.

- Eagle

Double dip today for everyone.

What's the lead story on the 6 PM SportsCenter today?

Apparently, ESPN's Ed Werder has multiple sources that say the Owens and Romo's relation is headed south. Where have I heard that one before? Somewhere Donovan McNabb just texted Tony Romo "I told you so."

Rumor has it that Owen's thinks that Romo and road roommate TE Jason Witten develop their own plays to keep Owens from catching the ball. Also, multiple unnamed Cowboys players spoke to Werder about how they want to keep Owens happy so he can preform on the field, and it's best to not tick him off.

Really, T.O.? Your that immature to think such things? Unbelievable. At least ESPN's Mark Schlereth ripped Owens for the whole situation.

This is why I didn't like Owens when he joined the Eagles. I never wanted him. I knew something like this could happen. The Eagles have never focused on superstar egos and actually tend to shy away from them.

Jerry Jones seems to collect trouble egos in Dallas. Well, good for him. Hope he likes the situation he brought onto himself and his team.

And I hope he enjoys another late-season/Wild Card round bust.

The link to the ESPN story is below. If I tried to hyperlink it, I'd screw it up, so you'll have to copy and paste.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/
story?id=3763209