Colts Tanking 'Bulls***!' Cowboys vs. Eagles Impact in NFC East Race

The Colts could be tanking. Or they could be preparing to tank. Either way ... That's where the Dallas Cowboys (and the Philadelphia Eagles) enter the story.

If it looks like "tanking'' and swims like "tanking'' and quacks like "tanking,'' it's probably "tanking'' - despite Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay's "that's bullshit!'' proclamation.

“That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard, that we’re tanking,” Irsay tells The Athletic in the wake of the benching of QB Matt Ryan and the firing of coach Frank Reich. “That’s bulls---. We’re not tanking the season.''

OK, but just in case ...

The Colts could be tanking. Or they could be preparing to tank. Either way ...

That's where the Dallas Cowboys (and the Philadelphia Eagles) enter the story.

The Colts, now being coached by Irsay fave and TV personality Jeff Saturday, are presently a 3-5-1 team. They play this week against a poor Raiders team but are six-point underdogs.

Lose that game and they're 3-6-1.

Do they then decide to at least "organically tank'' - the phrase we created years ago which in short translates to, "We're letting losses happen''?

Then they play the undefeated Eagles. That looks like a loss, and a 3-7-1 record.

Will the Colts essentially hand a win to visiting Philly?

Their next game is against Pittsburgh. Winnable? Or ... Another "handy'' loss and a 3-8-1 record.

They done yet?

Then, on Dec. 4, it's Colts at Cowboys. Dallas figures to be a big favorite either way, but ... surely Irsay and company will have given up the pretense that exists now when the owner insists, We’re going to do what it takes to win. I don’t know who people think we are, they don’t know us. We don’t tank in Indianapolis.”

Well, of course not. Except in 2011, when Peyton Manning got hurt and Irsay's team - fully aware that Andrew Luck was the top prize in the next NFL Draft (remember "Suck for Luck''?) started the season 0-13, and they were able to employ franchise QB's in back-to-back eras.

The Colts, logically, are not ready to win with Saturday as a first-time coach and with Longhorns ex Sam Ehlinger as a first-time first-teamer. They will lose, and they will lose a lot on the way to winning the highest pick available in next year's NFL Draft. As far as the Cowboys and Eagles go, the Football Gods will likely keep it a level playing field and they will lose to both NFC East rivals.

Irsay is barking, "We’re in this thing; 9-7-1 get us in (to the playoffs), no question about it. …''

Oh, there are a lot of questions about what in the hell the Colts are doing. But nobody in the other NFL outposts, like Dallas cares ... as long as the Colts make sure that if they lose to the Eagles, they also lose to the Cowboys.

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