Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
The NFC East still has a chance to get all four teams into the playoffs. But after a small setback on Saturday, there is still some work to be done.
Most of that will go to Washington Commanders, who lost 37-20 in San Francisco, leaving a chance to put some distance between them and their two closest competitors for the final NFC wildcard spot. The Giants also missed their chance to clinch with a 27-24 loss at Minnesota, although they have a great chance to clinch at home next week.
As he entered Week 16, two teams are with two teams to contend. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles were unable to lock down the NFC’s No. 1 seed when they lost 40-34 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. And while the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will almost certainly pass through Philadelphia, they will have to play their incumbents another week before they can rest for their playoff run.
Here’s a look at the crazy day of action in football’s top division:
Philadelphia Eagles (13-2)
Result Saturday: Lost to the Cowboys in Dallas, 40-34
What happened: Minshew Mania was exactly as exciting as the Eagles remembered – at least at first. With Jalen Hurts injured in the shoulder, Gardner Minshew completed 24 of 40 passes for 355 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He even threw a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith that put Philly up 34-27 with 10 minutes left.
But he was picked by Cowboys CB DaRon Bland with 4:19 left in the game, leading to a Brett Maher field goal that gave the Cowboys the lead. RB Miles Sanders fumbled on the first play of the next drive, leading to another Maher field goal. The Eagles, in fact, have turned the ball over in three of their last five practices.
“We will correct our mistakes – and we’ve made a lot of them,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “That’s what I love about this team. We learn from our mistakes.”
In fact, they came close to defeating them on Saturday. Minshew had one last bit of magic in him, taking the Eagles all the way to the Dallas 19 with 33 seconds left. But his last three passes remained incomplete.
Where they are: The Eagles are still two games ahead of the Vikings (including the tiebreaker) and the Cowboys in the race for the top seed. With a win or loss from Dallas, Philly wins the NFC East, and with another win or losses from both Dallas and Minnesota, it lands the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
And after: The good news for the Eagles is that they end the season with two home games, against the New Orleans Saints (6-9) and the Giants (8-6-1). The bad news is that they can’t rest their starters yet, including Hurts. According to FoxSports’ Jay Glazer, the Eagles planned to rest Hurts next week if they won on Saturday. Instead, they’ll likely play it so they can secure home-court advantage.
Dallas Cowboys (11-4)
Result Saturday: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Dallas, 40-34
What happened: The Cowboys defense just couldn’t stop Minshew and ended up getting shredded for 442 total yards. But they pulled off two huge turnovers in the final five minutes – Bland’s interception and a forced fumble recovered by LB Anthony Barr. They turned both turnovers into two field goals, which broke a 34-34 tie and gave them the win.
Dak Prescott was outstanding, completing 27 of 35 passes for 347 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He did most of his damage with No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had 10 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys’ ground game, however, was surprisingly ineffective against a vulnerable Eagles defense. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard – arguably the best 1-2 punching in football – combined for just 74 yards on 25 carries.
This may not be the last time these two teams play. If the chalk holds, they are currently on track for a third meeting in the NFC Divisional Round.
“I think both teams are probably hoping that we’ll see each other again,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “Because we know what it means.”
Where they are: The Cowboys still have an outside shot at the NFC East title and the NFC No. 1 seed, but that would force the Eagles to lose their final two games as the Cowboys win. et the Vikings lose at least once. The Cowboys are still much more likely to make the playoffs as wildcards. They can’t be lower than the fifth seed, which means a trip to the first round to face the winner of the NFC South – an opponent almost certain to end the regular season with a losing record.
And after: The Cowboys are on the road for the next two games, both against teams in desperation. They first have a quick turnaround for a Thursday night game in Tennessee against the Titans (7-8), who are tied for the lead in the AFC South. They then end the season in Washington against the Commanders (7-7-1) who narrowly cling to the last wild card spot in the NFC.
New York Giants (8-6-1)
Result Saturday: Lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 27-24
What happened: Despite a huge game from QB Daniel Jones (30 of 42, 334 yards), the Giants were defeated by uncharacteristic fourth-quarter errors and an incredible 61-yard field goal from Vikings kicker Greg Joseph when time expired.
The Giants gave themselves every chance to win this game, but fell apart after taking a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Jones threw an interception early in the last frame. WR Richie James had a terrible third fall a practice later. New York even had a blocked punt that set up a 17-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Justin Jefferson, giving the Vikings a 24-18 lead with three minutes left.
“You have to be able to make the big play at the critical point of the game,” Jones said. “And we didn’t today.”
Still, Jones rallied the Giants and quickly led them downfield to set up a 17-yard touchdown run from Saquon Barkley, and he hit TE Daniel Bellinger in the back of the end zone for a conversion to two runs with 2:01 remaining. But their defense was caught up in a blitz that allowed Cousins to hit Jefferson with a 17-yard gain of the Giants’ 42, setting up Joseph’s spectacular kick.
Where they are: The good news for the Giants is that they are still on the verge of that long-awaited playoff spot because they got all the help they needed. The Lions (7-8) lost to Carolina 37-23 and the Seahawks (7-8) lost to Kansas City 24-10. Thus, the Giants still hold the sixth seed in the NFC and they have a 1.5 game cushion with two games remaining.
And after: The Giants return home to face the Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1), who have lost seven of eight, including that historic slump against the Vikings last weekend. The Giants will clinch a playoff berth with a win. And if they can’t do it next Sunday, they’ll end the season in Philadelphia against an Eagles team that will probably rest everyone important.
Washington Commanders (7-7-1)
Result Saturday: Lost to the 49ers in San Francisco, 37-20
What happened: This match was a total meltdown for their defense, but it won’t be the headline. The headline will be how Ron Rivera set up starting QB Taylor Heinicke for Carson Wentz for the final 10 minutes of the game.
Wentz wasn’t bad. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel with 5:25 remaining to pull the Commanders within 10. But overall he was only marginally better than Heinicke, who was 13 of 18 for 166 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Heinicke’s last two drives in the fourth quarter ended in a fumble and an interception, and the 49ers scored on both. Rivera was already clearly tired of Heinicke’s high-risk style of play, and at that point he decided he had seen enough.
“I understand,” Heinicke said. “I was pretty bumped up there and the last two practices were two turnovers. I understand. And Carson did a good job.”
So who will be Washington’s starting QB in their must-see game next Sunday?
“We’ll evaluate the tape, we’ll talk about those things, and I’ll make a decision next week,” Rivera said. “And I will arrive early too, because whoever starts will have the chance to work.”
Where they are: With those Lions and Seahawks losses, the COs were guaranteed to stay in seventh place in the conference and control the last wildcard spot no matter what. But their lead is reduced to half a game with two to play.
And after: Luckily for them, they end the season with two home games. They first face a Cleveland Browns team that is 6-9 and has scored a total of 33 points in its last three games. They wrap up the season against the Cowboys, who may be able to rest all of their starters.
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Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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