NFC East Week 15 Wrap-up: Giants Rise, Dallas Stubs Toe

It was another action-packed week in the NFC East.

The Eagles continued to roll right along, topping the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia, who is currently the top seed in the NFC playoff picture, is looking to nail down a first-round bye.

The Cowboys, who lost to the Jaguars, still managed to clinch a playoff berth thanks to the Giants beating Dallas. And the Giants improved their chances of earning a postseason berth by taking care of business against Washington.

Let's dive into each game in more detail.

Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), 1st Place - Playoff Berth Clinched

Eagles 25, Bears 20

The Philadelphia Eagles built up a 17-6 lead and held on for a 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The win improved Philadelphia’s league-best record to 13-1.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t have his best stuff, as he threw two interceptions with a poor passer rating of 64.6. However, he still threw for 315 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns, with 61 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Neither team’s offense started well; the Bears turned the ball over on downs during the game’s opening drive and Hurts threw an interception on his team’s first drive. After three consecutive punts (two from Chicago), Philadelphia got on the board first with a 32-yard field goal by Jake Elliott.

Chicago responded by moving 75 yards in eight plays, the biggest of which was an amazing 39-yard scramble by QB Phenom Justin Fields. The play was initially ruled a touchdown, but Fields was later ruled out of bounds at the 9-yard line. On the next play, David Montgomery’s 9-yard touchdown run put the Bears up 6-3 after a missed PAT.

Hurts was intercepted again on the Eagles’ next drive, but the Bears were quickly forced to punt. This time, Philadelphia marched 91 yards in nine plays, finished by a 22-yard touchdown run by Hurts to take a 10-6 halftime lead.

A 58-yard kickoff return by Boston Scott gave the Eagles fantastic field position to start the second half, and a 29-yard pass to A.J. Brown set up Hurts’ second rushing touchdown of the day.

But the Bears kept within striking distance; their defense recovered a fumble from Eagles running back Miles Sanders for an instant red zone possession. They would capitalize with Fields’ 10-yard touchdown pass to Montgomery to make it 17-13 Philadelphia.

Both teams’ offenses stalled after that, as the Bears lost a fumble while the Eagles had a turnover on downs and a missed field goal from Elliott. But late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles asserted themselves with a 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive sparked by a 68-yard bomb from Hurts to Brown. Hurts finished the drive with his third rushing touchdown and ran in a two-point conversion to extend Philadelphia’s lead.

The Bears kept things interesting, though. Hurts, who temporarily left the game with an injury, came back under center and led his team 60 yards in six plays, throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to Byron Pringle to make it a one-possession game again. However, the Eagles squashed any hopes of a comeback by recovering the ensuing onside kick and running out the rest of the clock.

The Eagles will host the Cowboys on Christmas Eve.

Dallas Cowboys (10-4), 2nd Place - Playoff Berth Clinched

Jaguars 40, Dallas 34

The Dallas Cowboys blew a 27-10 lead and ultimately lost in overtime to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 40-34. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw an interception to Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who returned it for a 52-yard walk-off touchdown. The loss prevented the Cowboys from clinching a playoff spot initially (although they would later clinch with Washington’s loss that night).

Prescott’s game-losing interception, which was his second pick of the game (to the same player), offset a productive performance that included 256 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had an outstanding game in the losing effort, with 126 yards on seven catches, and fellow receiver Noah Brown had two touchdown catches, with his second putting Dallas ahead late.

The Cowboys capitalized on a fumble by Jaguars running back Travis Etienne with a 6-play, 41-yard touchdown drive, drawing first blood with a 10-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott. Then after forcing a three-and-out, Dallas marched 86 yards in 10 plays, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Peyton Hendershot for a 14-0 lead.

Jacksonville responded with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that concluded with Trevor Lawrence’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Zay Jones, but Dallas struck right back with an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive. Prescott’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Brown put the Cowboys up 21-7 at halftime.

Both teams traded field goals on their opening possessions of the second half. Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland then intercepted Lawrence, which set up another field goal from Brett Maher and extended the lead to 27-10.

But the Jaguars stormed back by scoring a pair of touchdowns in under four minutes. Just three plays after Maher’s second field goal, Lawrence launched a 59-yard touchdown pass to Zay Jones. Prescott was intercepted by Jenkins two plays later, and Jamal Agnew’s 30-yard run on the next play set up a 10-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones Jr., cutting the deficit to 27-24.

After a three-and-out by Dallas, Jacksonville marched 75 yards in eight plays and took their first lead of the day when Zay Jones hauled in his third touchdown of the game. But Dallas responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive of their own, taking seven minutes off the clock in 13 plays. A 13-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Noah Brown put the Cowboys back in front, 34-31.

Dallas appeared to seal the game when linebacker Micah Parsons recovered a fumble from Lawrence, but the offense immediately went three-and-out to give Jacksonville a chance with 1:01 left. Lawrence made up for his earlier mistake by leading a drive to the Dallas 30-yard line, and Riley Patterson kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.

The Jaguars were forced to punt on the first possession of overtime, allowing Dallas to win with just a field goal. But facing 3rd-and-4 at his own 47, Prescott threw his second interception to Jenkins, who returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to win the game for the Jaguars.

The Cowboys, who still clinched a playoff berth thanks partly to the Giants' win over Washington, will visit the Eagles on Christmas Eve.

New York Giants (8-5-1), 3rd Place; Washington Commanders (7-6-1), 4th Place

Giants 20, Commanders 12

In one of the season's biggest games, the New York Giants earned their first division win of the year with a dramatic 20-12 victory over the Washington Commanders. The game significantly increased New York’s playoff odds, while Washington’s chances were decimated.

Giants QB Daniel Jones completed 21 of 32 passes for 160 yards. Running back Saquon Barkley had 120 scrimmage yards, as he rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and caught five passes for 33 yards.

Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke completed 17 of 29 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown but lost a pair of fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson shined, with 105 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. had 89 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Washington opened the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Joey Slye, which was the only score of the first quarter. The Giants took control in the second quarter, as Kayvon Thibodeaux’s 1-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown gave the Giants a 7-3 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

After forcing the Commanders to punt, New York, pieced together a stunning 18-play, 97-yard touchdown drive that took eight and a half minutes. Buoyed by a successful conversion on 4th-and-9, the Giants finished the drive with Barkley’s 3-yard touchdown run to enter halftime with a 14-3 lead.

The Commanders got right back in the game in the second half, driving 91 yards in six plays on their opening possession before making it 14-9 on Heinicke’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Dotson. However, their initially successful two-point conversion attempt was negated by a penalty, and Slye missed the ensuing PAT.

The Giants responded with a 50-yard field goal by Graham Gano to make it 17-9, but Washington made it 17-12 on Slye’s second field goal later in the 4th quarter. After a Giants punt, a 61-yard bomb from Heinicke to Dotson sparked a drive inside the New York 10-yard line, but Heinicke was sacked and lost another fumble that Leonard Williams recovered. The Giants converted this turnover into a Gano field goal for key insurance.

Washington threatened to tie the game when they advanced to the Giants’ 1-yard line. However, a potential touchdown by Robinson was negated by an illegal formation penalty, and the Giants’ defense iced the game by forcing a pair of incompletions for a turnover on downs.

The goal-line stand didn’t come without controversy, though. Curtis Samuel, Heinicke’s target on the 4th down play, appeared to be interfered with by Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes, but no flag was thrown, and the Giants prevailed.

The Giants will visit the Vikings on Christmas Eve, while the Commanders will head west to face the 49ers.

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