- Final0DEN
BUF14
4014
40 - Final1ARI
CIN16
2316
23 - Final2JAC
TEN17
2317
23 - Final OTOT3OAK
KC16
1316
13 - Final4MIA
NE24
2724
27 - Final5NYG
NYJ29
1429
14 - Final6STL
PIT0
270
27 - Final7MIN
WSH33
2633
26 - Final8TB
CAR16
4816
48 - Final9CLE
BAL14
2014
20 - Final10SD
DET10
3810
38 - Final11PHI
DAL20
720
7 - Final12SF
SEA19
1719
17 - Final13HOU
IND16
1916
19 - Final14CHI
GB21
3521
35 - Final15ATL
NO16
4516
45
Final
Coverage: FOX
4:15 PM ET, December 24, 2011
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Top Performers
Passing: M. Vick (PHI) - 293 YDS, 2 TD
Rushing: L. McCoy (PHI) - 13 CAR, 35 YDS
Receiving: D. Jackson (PHI) - 5 REC, 90 YDS
The Dallas Cowboys have complete control of their path to another NFC East title, and they might be even closer by kickoff.
The Philadelphia Eagles' playoff fate could be determined then, too.
The Cowboys may have a chance to clinch the division crown when they host the surging Eagles on Saturday.
Dallas (8-6) leads the second-place New York Giants by one game and is two in front of the third-place Eagles (6-8) heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Only one of those teams will reach the playoffs, and the Cowboys could clinch that spot Saturday with a win combined with a Giants' loss to the New York Jets earlier in the day.
That matchup also has serious implications for Philadelphia, which also needs a Jets victory to remain alive in the division.
For the Eagles to repeat as East champions, they must beat the Cowboys and Washington at home on Jan. 1. They need the Giants to lose to the Jets and then beat Dallas in their last game.
That would leave all three teams at 8-8, and Philadelphia would own the tiebreaker based on a superior divisional record.
"I'm a big Jets fan this week," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "You control what you control. You have to play the game whether that team wins or loses."
The Eagles' playoff hopes remained alive after a 45-19 romp over the Jets on Sunday, their second straight victory.
"It feels good that we are still alive," said tight end Brent Celek, who had a career-high 156 yards and one touchdown. "That is all you can ask for at this point. We just have to play together as a team and go up there, fight and beat Dallas."
The Cowboys should be eager for revenge after losing 34-7 at Philadelphia in Week 8. That was just their second loss in the last six meetings in the series since the Eagles kept them out of the playoffs with a 44-6 win in Week 17 of 2008.
"We've got to get the wins. We've got to get in," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "Best way to do it is win this thing."
Dallas regained some momentum by beating Tampa Bay 31-15 last Saturday after blowing fourth-quarter leads in consecutive games.
"We just can't let up," receiver Dez Bryant said. "We know where we want to go and it don't matter who comes in here, we're going to keep the same intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. ... We just got to keep focusing and keep playing hard."
Tony Romo is doing his part to get Dallas into the postseason, completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 869 yards with eight touchdowns, no interceptions and a 121.4 passer rating over the last three games.
Romo has thrown 18 touchdown passes and just two picks in the past seven contests since struggling with a season-low 66.7 rating against the Eagles. He finished with 203 yards on 18-of-35 passing with one touchdown and one INT in that defeat.
Romo has 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while going 5-4 as a starter against Philadelphia.
The onus may again be on Romo and the passing game since Dallas is dealing with a rash of injuries to its backfield, with Felix Jones' hamstring tightness the latest issue.
Jones is listed as questionable after running for more than 100 yards each of the past two weeks. He may be joining rookie running backs DeMarco Murray and Phillip Tanner on the sidelines, leaving the Cowboys with 12-year veteran Sammy Morris and practice squad member Chauncey Washington.
Morris made his season debut with 12 carries for 53 yards against the Buccaneers, and is expected to start if Jones can't play.
"Sammy is the most logical choice ... and we have another young back on our practice roster (Washington), so he'll get a chance to do some of that too," coach Jason Garrett said.
Dallas' defense is looking to build on its best performance of the season, holding Tampa Bay to 190 total yards.
The unit is likely to be tested much more thoroughly by LeSean McCoy, who ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries last week.
He's scored eight TDs in the past four games, giving him 20 total scores -- an Eagles single-season record. Two of those came when McCoy ran for a career-high 185 yards in the October rout of the Cowboys.
"It tells you I'm a pretty good back and I have an outstanding offensive line," said McCoy, who had 149 yards on 16 carries in a 30-27 win at Dallas on Dec. 12, 2010. "It's definitely a team thing."
Michael Vick also starred against the Cowboys earlier this season, completing 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns while running seven times for 50 yards.
"It feels good to still have a chance to even be considered in the playoff race," said Vick, who threw for 274 yards with one touchdown while adding another score on the ground last week.
"We've been through a lot, but we're resilient."
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SPONSORED HEADLINES
Scouting Report
Eagles-Cowboys: 10 observations
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in the Week 16 Eagles-Cowboys matchup.
1. Keep Tony Romo in the pocket: With the Eagles' new wide-nine techniques, the defensive front can get a lot of pressure from the outside but that wide speed rush will occassionally give up escape lanes. When this happens, Philadelphia can't let Romo escape the pocket. Romo is most dangerous when he can extend plays and often ends up making explosive downfield plays.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
PHI | DAL | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 7-8 | 8-7 |
| Avg Points | 24.1 | 23.7 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 21.2 | 21.1 |
| Home Record | 2-5 | 5-3 |
| Road Record | 5-3 | 3-4 |
| Division Record | 4-1 | 2-3 |
| Conference Record | 5-6 | 6-5 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
Rushing Leaders
Receiving Leaders
| Philadelphia | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Maclin | 69 | 857 | 12.4 | 7 | |
| D. Jackson | 45 | 700 | 15.6 | 2 | |
| Dallas | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| D. Bryant | 92 | 1382 | 15.0 | 12 | |
| J. Witten | 110 | 1039 | 9.4 | 3 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | PHI | |
| DAL | ||
| Yards Passing | PHI | |
| DAL | ||
| Yards Rushing | PHI | |
| DAL | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | PHI | |
| DAL | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | PHI | |
| DAL | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | PHI | |
| DAL |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| Philadelphia leads 14-9 | |
|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2011 | PHI 34, DAL 7 |
| Jan 2, 2011 | PHI 13, DAL 14 |
| Dec 12, 2010 | PHI 30, @DAL 27 |
| Jan 9, 2010 | PHI 14, @DAL 34 |
| Jan 3, 2010 | PHI 0, @DAL 24 |
| Nov 8, 2009 | PHI 16, DAL 20 |
| Dec 28, 2008 | PHI 44, DAL 6 |
| Sep 15, 2008 | PHI 37, @DAL 41 |
| Dec 16, 2007 | PHI 10, @DAL 6 |
| Nov 4, 2007 | PHI 17, DAL 38 |
| Dec 25, 2006 | PHI 23, @DAL 7 |
| Oct 8, 2006 | PHI 38, DAL 24 |
| Nov 14, 2005 | PHI 20, DAL 21 |
| Oct 9, 2005 | PHI 10, @DAL 33 |
| Dec 19, 2004 | PHI 12, DAL 7 |
| Nov 15, 2004 | PHI 49, @DAL 21 |
| Dec 7, 2003 | PHI 36, DAL 10 |
| Oct 12, 2003 | PHI 21, @DAL 23 |
| Dec 21, 2002 | PHI 27, @DAL 3 |
| Sep 22, 2002 | PHI 44, DAL 13 |
| Nov 18, 2001 | PHI 36, @DAL 3 |
| Sep 30, 2001 | PHI 40, DAL 18 |
Research Notes
The Eagles, who can finish no better than 8-8, can still win the NFC East.
If the Eagles win the division, then they would be the first team since the merger to win the NFC East/Eastern Division with fewer than 10 wins. |
ESPN Stats & Information |



