This possibility became likelihood if the Cowboys couldn't find a way to string together wins this season, and they haven't.
As Dallas rests and recuperates during its bye week, they run the risk of falling out of first place without even playing a game. If the Eagles come out of this weekend's division game against Washington with a win, they'll sit on top of the NFC East at 6-5.
That's not exactly a doomsday scenario. Philly has yet to take its own bye week, and Dallas still has three full division games to play to re-position itself in the standings. But it puts the Cowboys in an uncomfortable situation, as not only will they lose possession of first for the first time this season, but they'll do so ahead of a critical division road trip to New York.
Adversity hasn't always been bad for the Cowboys this season, though. The last time the NFC East lead was up for grabs, the Cowboys went up to Philadelphia in Week 7 and clobbered the Eagles, 17-3. Perhaps the pressure of a rival team breathing down their necks, they'd respond with a similar performance against the Giants.
Still, I think the smart play is to root for a Washington win Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. A Redskins win would put both teams just behind the Cowboys, but it would also give both teams two losses within the division, which is a tremendous boost for Dallas at 3-0 in division games.
The smart money is that this'll be an entertaining game. The last time these two met, way back on Sept. 9, they combined for 825 yards of offense and 60 points. The Eagles raced out to a 33-7 lead thanks largely to 184 rushing yards from LeSean McCoy, but the Redskins rallied to lose by just six.
Not much has changed. Philly is tallying 413 yards per game, and Washington is right behind them at 410 yards per game. Meanwhile, thanks to some bad pass defense, Washington's defense ranks 27th in the league, while Philadelphia is just one spot above Dallas at No. 31 overall. [embedded_ad]
Ultimately, I think it comes down to mistakes. The margin between the two isn't big when it comes to turnover differential, but Nick Foles has yet to throw an interception in 136 attempts this season. Robert Griffin III, however, has almost doubled his interception total from last season and has only avoided throwing a pick in two games.
A Washington win is the preferable scenario, but I think Foles and Co. continue their win streak to three games.
Just up the road in New Jersey, the Giants have the potential to climb even for second place – depending on the result of the Philadelphia game. Like I wrote last week, they'll have the benefit of going for their fourth-straight win against an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay team.
It looks like Scott Tolzien is going to get his second start for the Packers, despite the re-signing of Matt Flynn to the roster earlier this week. Tolzien was impressive, though far from perfect in his start against Philadelphia last week.
He'll need to be better in MetLife Stadium, as the Giants boast the league's 10th best pass defense. New York's effort against the run isn't bad either, at just 3.7 yards per attempt. Between Tolzien and rookie sensation Eddie Lacy, someone is going to have to star if Green Bay is to get a road win.
So there are two very real possible outcomes for Sunday's games, both played while the Cowboys sit out of the action. The Eagles could be on top of the standings by Sunday night. Equally as likely is that at least two, if not all three division foes could have sixes losses – putting them just one game behind Dallas – by the end of Week 11.
Pick your poison, I guess.
