Eagles defeat creates a wonderful opportunity for the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers in Week 9
In the play of thrones, it’s win or lose. Or rather, it’s lose or lose. When the Cowboys lost a nail-biting game to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 9, many thought they were out of contention for the NFC East crown. Especially after the Eagles went on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills in back-to-back weeks.
But then, the Cowboys got lucky against the 49ers. And that’s saying a lot when you consider how the Cowboys are on a four-game winning streak after beating the Seattle Seahawks in a barnburner.
Even better, the Cowboys’ opponents over that stretch were all NFC teams and two of the NFC East teams, which could make a difference if that tiebreaker plays a role. What tiebreaker, you ask?
With the 49ers having lost to the Cowboys, and the two teams scheduled to face each other again in Week 14 at AT&T, where Dallas has a 14-game home winning streak, there is still a good chance that the Cowboys will hand the 49ers their second consecutive loss (and Philly’s first of the season) and that the division crown and possibly the number one seed in the conference could end up in Mike McCarthy’s hands.
If the Cowboys win over the 49ers in Week 14, they can move into first in the division by virtue of having a better record than the 49ers in what is known as the NFC East. It looks like the 49ers just gave the Cowboys the opportunity to put some poison in Joffrey’s wine next week.
The first seed in the conference comes with home field throughout the playoffs, and given the Cowboys’ home winning streak and overall dominance, that’s a huge deal.
At 9-3, the 49ers hold the tiebreaker over the Cowboys at 9-3 and the Eagles at 10-2. The 49ers can easily erase the tiebreaker in Week 14 if they can protect their home field on Dec. 10 against the Vikings.
Before anyone crowns the 49ers, keep in mind that their next opponent will be a reeling Seahawks team that has lost three in a row and must avenge a November 23 loss to the Niners to end their losing streak and avoid potentially falling out of the playoff picture and into the “in the hunt” category.
Two weeks later, Kyle Shanahan will have the Baltimore Ravens on his hands.
The 49ers and McCarthy are facing a formidable challenge ahead, and each game carries a significant amount of weight in terms of how their playoff outlook will play out. The Week 17 showdown against the Detroit Lions looms as yet another tantalizingly loaded NFC showdown that could send shock waves through the conference.
The 49ers and Eagles will not play against the Lions this season.
While it’s too early to start formulating playoff scenarios and roadblocks to the Cowboys’ No. 1 seed, it’s not hard to see what needs to happen moving forward for them to accomplish what many thought was impossible in Week 5 and Week 9.
The Cowboys will need to control the entire month of December, just as they did in November, after losing to the Eagles and avenging themselves against them in Arlington. This could put the Cowboys in a three-way race with the Philadelphia Eagles, along with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, to earn the right to travel to their own stadium for Super Bowl 58. It’s time to find out who’s legit atop the NFC West and who’s just been playing catch-up. The battle for blackwater bay is on.
