Philadelphia Eagles have chance to make move in NFC East

The time is now for the Philadelphia Eagles. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys three weeks ago, the defending champions found themselves at 4-5. At the time, they were looking like a team with a nasty Super Bowl hangover.

Since, the Eagles have rattled off a 2-1 record. Albeit with tight wins over the moribund New York Giants and Washington Redskins. This week, Philadelphia is tasked with taking down Dallas. The Cowboys haven’t lost in a month and at 7-5, leads the middling NFC East.

Now, Philadelphia gets its chance at revenge. As well as that, a share of first place is available come Sunday afternoon deep in the heart of Texas.

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For the Philadelphia Eagles to win, the play of Carson Wentz must continue to improve. After throwing for more than 300 yards along with two touchdowns in the 28-13 win over Washington on Monday night, Wentz looks healthier than he’s been in recent weeks as he continues recovering from a torn ACL. Against a Dallas defense on long rest, and allowing only 10 points to the high-powered New Orleans Saints, that’s obviously vital.

In that vein, Golden Tate needs to make an impact on the game. When Philadelphia traded for Tate at the trade deadline, sending a third-round draft pick to the Detroit Lions, it seemed like the right move. Alshon Jeffery had struggled with injury and Nelson Agholor, while good, isn’t a top-tier receiver. Tate was supposed to become that guy, giving Wentz an elite weapon.

Instead, the soon-to-be free agent had a grand total of 11 catches for 97 yards and no touchdowns prior to Monday’s win. Against the Redskins, Tate arrived in the City of Brotherly Love with seven catches (on as many targets) for 85 yards and a score. He’ll need to duplicate or improve upon that success against the Cowboys for Philadelphia to come away victorious.

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Looking at the final quarter of the season, there’s no real path to the playoffs with a loss on Sunday. The Eagles only have one home game remaining, and their next two tilts after Dallas include a road game on Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams before returning to Philadelphia to host the Houston Texans. Losing to the Rams is almost a certainty, so running the table otherwise is going to be necessary.

After winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history, the Eagles still have a chance to defend that crown come January in the NFC. However, a slip-up on Sunday to the hated Cowboys all but ends those hopes much sooner than anybody in Philadelphia could have imagined.