By Alex Al-Kazzaz
The Cowboys have a critical mission this week, and there's only one objective: WIN AT ALL COSTS. If they can take care of business on the road against Washington, Dak Prescott & company will secure the NFC East title and the #2 seed in the playoffs. It doesn't seem difficult because all Dallas needs to do is beat a horrible Washington Commanders team.
Dallas is 3-5 on the road this season. The team's last two games on the road went terrible. There's no room for error with too much on the line this week. Sam Howell will start for Washington one year after his debut, which resulted in a 26-6 win over Dallas. Dallas is looking to amass their third consecutive 12-win season.
It's been 18 years since there's been a repeat NFC East champion. The Eagles were the last NFC East team to successfully retain the title, having done it from 2001 through 2004. Philadelphia is coming off an embarrassing 35-31 home loss to Arizona, blowing a 21-6 half-time lead. Jalen Hurts & company entered this season with the highest percentage of returning to the Super Bowl, and now their chance has significantly dropped. In addition, the Eagles were at one point 10-1, and now they are 11-5.
Dallas cannot rely on the New York Giants for help this week. They've relied on other teams too much in the past few weeks. It's time for Dallas to step it up and finish it on their own. If Dallas is to prove to critics that they're capable of a deep playoff run, they must verify it on the field.