Really A Formality As Dallas Cowboys, Eagles Gear Up For Playoffs
PHILADELPHIA (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The final week of the regular NFL season is here and the Dallas Cowboys have a chance to finish undefeated against the NFC East for the first time since 1998.
Not much gets the competitive juices flowing in Philadelphia like the Eagles hosting the Cowboys.
Eagles wideout Greg Ward called it "the biggest rivalry in football," but rivalry talk has been muted for the final week of the regular season with both teams headed to the playoffs.
A loss to Arizona ended the Cowboys hopes of earning the top-seed in the playoffs. The NFC East champs (11-5) need a win and help to climb from the No. 4 seed to No. 2. The Eagles (9-7) can't finish any higher than the sixth seed.
It's uncertain how much Dallas coach Mike McCarthy and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni will risk playing key starters. McCarthy said his starters will play and his team will be focused on winning.
Sirianni deflected questions about playing starters early in the week, saying he hasn't decided. The Eagles placed 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday; all are eligible to come off before the game, or the team can fill their spots with practice squad callups.
After the loss to the Cardinals, the Cowboys may feel a need to regain momentum heading into the postseason.
"There are slight odds to potentially move up, so we want to make sure we take care of business on our end, and finish off and make sure we're playing with momentum," McCarthy said.
Eagles star rookie wideout DeVonta Smith wants to play. The Eagles have won four in a row and five of their last six games.
"I feel like I need to be out there. I feel like the whole team needs to be out there, just a momentum thing," said Smith, who is 37 yards shy of DeSean Jackson's team record of 921 receiving yards for a rookie. "We've kind of got everything going in the right direction, so just keep that momentum building. Just another week to fine-tune the small things ... it means a lot."
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
