We have reached the point of the NFL regular season where certain team's playoff hopes can immediately rise with a win or take a major hit with a loss. There are a pair of games in the NFC East this week could have a major impact on the postseason picture in not only the division, but in the conference as a whole.
The Cowboys are in Chicago for a Thursday night matchup against the Bears in what could be considered an almost "must win" situation after posting just one victory in their last four games. Dallas is still in solid shape to make the playoffs at 8-4, but a loss to Chicago as a road favorite could go a long way towards changing that. First, it would fall even deeper behind the Eagles in the division title race and second, the Cowboys would be cast into the mix for a wild card spot that includes teams such as San Francisco, Detroit and Seattle with only two of four teams making it into the postseason.
Philadelphia gained the edge in the NFC East with last Thursday's convincing 33-10 win over the Cowboys, but it has another huge test on its hands with the Seahawks coming to town this Sunday. The Eagles are a perfect 6-0 at home this season while Seattle is just 3-3 on the road, but you can throw those records out the window with this game listed as a PICK with most betting lines. This matchup comes down to the vaunted Seahawks' defense trying to slowdown the high-powered Eagles' offensive attack. If LeSean McCoy has another day running the ball like he did on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys, Philadelphia should win this game. However, if head coach Chip Kelly has to rely on Mark Sanchez throwing the ball to try and beat Seattle, things could really tighten up for next week's rematch between Dallas and Philly at the Linc.
Both Washington and New York find themselves riding out the string after posting just three victories in their first 12 games. It is highly doubtful that Redskins' head coach Jay Gruden's job is jeopardy since this his first year at the helm, but it is almost a foregone conclusion that Tom Coughlin's long and highly successful tenure with Giants will come to an end after this season.
I actually used New York's road game against Jacksonville as my NFC East "pick of the week" so to see which way I went in this one check-out my full preview of this week's games in my weekly article for Doc's Sports using the link below.
Expert NFL Betting Picks: Weekly NFC East Predictions Week 14
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