Cowboys vs. Eagles: Can Dallas Catch Undefeated 'On Borrowed Time' Philadelphia?
Sitting at 6-2, the Dallas Cowboys are riding high going into their Week 9 bye. Dallas holds the NFL's No. 3 scoring defense, is tied for second in the NFL in turnover differential and ranks first in sacks.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles currently reign over the NFC East. ... with at least one critic thinking the Eagles are "not a juggernaut'' and living "on borrowed time.''
Philly is coming off of a 29-17 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night in which they extended to 8-0 on the season, while serving as the only undefeated team left in the NFL.
The Eagles have a fairly easy remaining strength of schedule as well ... but so does Dallas. The combined record of Philly's remaining opponents is 39-31-1 (54.9 percent win percentage), while Dallas' remaining opponents combine for a 38-30-2 record (54.2 percent win percentage). Regarding strength of schedule, neither team has a distinct advantage or edge over the other one.
However, it's also realistic to expect Dallas to improve down the stretch. Dallas has battled with injuries throughout the season, while playing much of it without starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Now, wideout James Washington is expected back soon, along with All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith.
The Eagles, it can be argued, will be what the Eagles have been already, while Dallas may not have even hit its stride yet. And maybe that's the point Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram is making when he argues, essentially, that Philly isn't all that good.
We're not sure what "borrowed time'' means here, and in sports parlance, being 8-0 is pretty much what a "juggernaut'' is. Chances are that Hill is just trying to have some "Dallas Week'' fun, especially when the long-time Cowboys beat writer closes his bold statement by saying, "Argue with your momma.''
But this is a fact: When these teams last met in Week 6, the Cowboys kept it a one-score game until midway through the fourth quarter. Dallas also managed to do that without Prescott under center in a game where backup quarterback Cooper Rush threw three interceptions.
While strength of schedule doesn't necessarily give Dallas a distinct chance at catching up to Philly, we may not have seen the Cowboys' best football yet. Dallas certainly has a chance to catch the NFL's best Eagles squad, and will have a chance to close the gap when these two teams clash in Week 16 on Christmas Eve.
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