PHILADELPHIA _ Congratulations, you made it to Dallas Week with a reason to care. It wasn't always easy, and there were an equal number of opportunities to despair along the way as there were to keep hope alive.
The same can be said in Texas, of course, and that is the bottom line for Sunday's Clash of the Mediocres between 7-7 teams that picked the right season to be members of the NFC East.
The good news for Eagles fans is the game is a lock for the home team. They will definitely beat the Cowboys, hold serve against the Giants, and represent the division proudly with a home game in the wild-card round of the playoffs. I think it will be against San Francisco, a team that is leaking oil slightly after blowing a nine-point, fourth-quarter lead at home against the Falcons, but that's getting a little ahead of ourselves.
Unfortunately, there is bad news, too. In keeping with the nature of the teams and the game itself, there is also no chance the Eagles will win against the Cowboys, a team that already beat them by 27 points this season. Sorry about that. When you dance on the edge of the cliff against the Giants and Redskins, a misstep against a better team is unavoidable.
The Eagles needed to complete the job of the 2017 season without their franchise quarterback, and then needed to do it again last season in the final three games to make the playoffs. This time around, they have their guy behind center and he is on a hot streak.
Surviving adversity before has given this team an indefinable something that isn't measured with statistics. It has a heart that can't be denied and a togetherness that will carry the team past the gutless Cowboys and their soon-to-be-fired head coach.
