NFC East Week 13 Wrap: Dallas, Eagles Dominate, Giants, Commanders Tie

The Giants and Commanders are still in the postseason hunt, but they didn't exactly help themselves by tying each other in their Week 13 game.

Author:
Joe Najarian
Publish date:
Dec 5, 2022 9:41 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys continue to roll toward locking up postseason berths, each turning in convincing wins over the Titans and Colts, respectively.

However, the same couldn't be said of the Giants and Commanders, whose game ended in a tie. The Giants are still clinging to the sixth seed in the NFC playoff race, but Washington has fallen out of the race thanks to the tie and the Seattle Seahawks winning their game over the Los Angeles Rams.

Let's recap the Week 13 action in the division.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders (26) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pa.
George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Philadelphia Eagles (11-1), 1st Place

Eagles 25, Titans 10

The NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles dominated a fellow division leader in the Tennessee Titans, cruising to a 35-10 win. Philadelphia maintained a 21-10 lead at halftime and scored a pair of second-half touchdowns to put the game away.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts continued to dominate, completing 29 of 39 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another score. He was eventually replaced by Gardner Minshew, with the game firmly in the Eagles’ control.

Wide receiver A.J. Brown had a huge game, hauling in eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns, while fellow wideout DeVonta Smith had 102 yards and a touchdown on just five catches.

Philadelphia struck first on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the game’s opening drive. After both teams punted, Tennessee responded with Ryan Tannehill’s 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks. Burks was drafted by the Titans to replace current Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown but was injured while hauling in the touchdown and left with a concussion.

The Eagles took the lead for good on their next drive, as Hurts threw a 40-yard strike to Brown to put them up 14-7. Tennessee made it 14-10 on Randy Bullock’s field goal in the second quarter, but Philadelphia responded with Hurts’ 2-yard touchdown run just 51 seconds before halftime to make it 21-10.

The second half was all Eagles, scoring a pair of touchdowns on a 29-yard pass to Brown and a 3-yard run by Miles Sanders. Meanwhile, their defense pinned down the Titans, forcing a punt but all but two drives, which resulted in a turnover on downs and the game ending, respectively.

The Eagles visit the Giants next week, while the Titans host the Jaguars.

Dec 4, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (54) recovers a fumble against the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboys (9-3), 2nd Place

Cowboys 54, Colts 19

What started as a close game on Sunday Night Football turned into a blowout, as the Dallas Cowboys dominated the Indianapolis Colts, 54-19.

Dallas scored a staggering 33 points in the fourth quarter to turn the game into a rout; their defense forced four turnovers in the fourth quarter alone to set up touchdown drives for the offense.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 20 of 30 passes for 170 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. When the game got out of hand in the final 15 minutes, he was replaced by Cooper Rush, who didn’t throw a single pass.

The Cowboys offense had 220 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns; Tony Pollard led the way with 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Indianapolis would get on the board first with a Chase McLaughlin field goal. Both teams scored touchdowns on their ensuing drives; Dallas on Prescott’s 20-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb and the Colts on Matt Ryan’s 14-yard pass to Ashton Dulin.

Dallas took the lead for good in the second quarter on Pollard’s 2-yard touchdown run. An interception by Prescott allowed the Colts to set up another McLaughlin field goal, but Ryan would throw an interception of his own that set up Prescott’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Gallup. The game was still a one-possession game at halftime, with the Cowboys ahead 21-13.

Late in the third quarter, the Colts scored on Ryan’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce, but the Cowboys continued to lead after the two-point conversion failed. Dallas then scored on another Prescott touchdown pass to Gallup early in the fourth quarter, making it 28-19.

The floodgates opened on the next play when Dallas safety Malik Hooker recovered a Colts fumble and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. This fumble recovery would be the first of four straight turnovers by Indianapolis.

Ryan was intercepted on the Colts’ ensuing drive, and Dallas countered with Pollard’s 30-yard touchdown run to make it 40-19. Ryan then threw another interception to the same Dallas defender (Daron Bland), which set up Ezekiel Elliott’s 4-yard touchdown run.

Finally, the Cowboys’ defense recovered a fumble from Ryan, and backup running back Malik Davis capped the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown run.

The Cowboys host the Texans next week, while the Colts have a bye.

Dec 4, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) runs as New York Giants linebacker Jaylon Smith (54) defends during the first half at MetLife Stadium.
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants (7-4-1), 3rd Place; Washington Commanders (7-5-1), 4th Place

Commanders 20, Giants 20

A huge division game for the New York Giants and Washington Commanders failed to produce a winner. Even after overtime, the game ended in a 20-20 tie. It was the Giants’ first tie since 1997, coincidentally against the Commanders.

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones lost a fumble on the game's first drive but went on to complete 25 of 31 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 71 yards. Running back Saquon Barkley added 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

For the Commanders, quarterback Taylor Heinicke completed 27 of 41 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns but lost a fumble on the first drive of the second half. Washington racked up 165 rushing yards, with Brian Robinson Jr. leading the way with 96 yards on 21 carries.

Washington recovered a fumble from Jones on the game’s opening drive, which set up a Joey Slye 21-yard field goal. They then scored a touchdown on their next drive with Heinicke’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin when cornerback Fabian Moreau missed a tackle.

But the Giants responded with a Graham Gano field goal on their next drive. After the defense forced a punt, Jones’s 55-yard pass to Darius Slayton set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Barkley to tie the game. Both teams kicked field goals on their ensuing drives, and the game was tied at 13 at halftime.

The Giants got a great opportunity to score when the defense recovered a fumble from Heinicke to start the second half. They capitalized on Jones’s 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Isaiah Hodgins. New York would not score again, but they maintained a 20-13 lead for most of the second half.

But late in the fourth quarter, Washington stormed 90 yards in eight plays, with Heinicke completing three passes of 20+ yards. The last was a 28-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jahan Dotson that tied the game at 20. After both teams punted on their ensuing drives, the game went into overtime.

Both teams couldn’t do anything with the ball in the extra ten minutes, with the Giants’ first two drives and both of Washington’s drives ending in punts. The Giants were able to get into field goal range in the game’s waning seconds, but Gano’s 58-yard attempt fell short as time expired, leaving the game in a tie.

The Giants host the Eagles next week while Washington has its bye.