Sean Lee

NFC East notebook: Cowboys must beat the NFL's hottest team to stay alive

Published Nov. 24, 2015 4:00 p.m. ET

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In quarterback Tony Romo's first game back, the Dallas Cowboys won by 10 points against a team that is 2-0 against the other NFC East teams this year. With losses from the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, the Cowboys find themselves just two games back for the NFC East division lead behind only the New York Giants.

The idea that the Cowboys can come back and win the East has caught fire, but is it actually possible? If their bid to win the division is to be taken seriously, they will need to first win this Thursday on Thanksgiving against the undefeated Carolina Panthers. Romo is confident the Cowboys can pull off the improbable because of the team's past track record against undefeated teams.

"In the past, we've played against a few teams that have been undefeated," Romo said, per NFL Media's Jeff Darling. We'll try and look back to some of those times and see what we can do.

"And what I mean is ... We've beaten a few teams that have been undefeated."

Romo isn't the only one who thinks the Cowboys can deliver the Panthers their first loss in 11 games. The Cowboys opened up as 1-point favorites over the Panthers in Las Vegas. It is only the second time in history that a 10-0 team has opened as an underdog, per Jason Logan of Covers.com.

On paper, the 3-7 Cowboys seem a lot less overmatched than their record might suggest. Romo wasn't the only key contributor to return to the lineup in Week 11 -- the Cowboys also returned linebacker Sean Lee. He wasted no time making an impact by leading the team in tackles and eliminating Miami's passing attack over the middle of the field.

Of course, it would be wrong not to mention Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy. He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder against his former team that made no effort to re-sign him this offseason. His matchup? Former first-rounder Michael Oher who is having a career rebirth after being moved back to left tackle following a one-and-done season in Tennessee.

The Cowboys could lose and potentially win the division at 8-8, but that would require them to win out after Thanksgiving. In all likelihood, the Cowboys must win Thursday to keep the dream alive.

Can the Redskins snap their losing streak against the Giants?

When the Sunday after Thanksgiving arrives, regardless of what happens with the Cowboys and Eagles, the Washington Redskins will be hosting the New York Giants in a game that could prove critical at the end of the season.

A road win for the Giants will distance them two games from the Redskins, with a tiebreaker, and up to two and three games (and no less than one or two games) from the Eagles and Cowboys, respectively.

A home win for the Redskins -- who have a 4-1 home record in 2015 -- would put them in a two-way tie with the Giants. They could also be locked in a three-way tie at 5-6 if the Eagles win on Thanksgiving.

The Giants have won their last five games against the Redskins and six out of their last seven. The Giants defeated the Redskins 32-21 in Week 3 this season in a game that was a lot more lopsided than the score would indicate.

This time around, the matchup will be a little different. The Redskins now have deep threat DeSean Jackson back in the lineup, and the Giants will have top cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to defend him -- he missed Week 3.

The Giants also have arguably their best defensive player in the lineup now in Jason Pierre-Paul. He is looking forward to matching up with Redskins left tackle Trent Williams -- who is planning to play through a lower body injury. However, the Giants could be without two key starting offensive linemen in Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg.

This is never a good sign

It's never an indicator of good things to come when a team's effort level comes into question. After a 45-17 Week 11 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there has been a building buzz about the Eagles' effort level in year three under head coach Chip Kelly.

In the span of 48 hours, an anonymous Eagles player questioned running back DeMarco Murray's effort level, the Eagles' former president and current ESPN analyst Joe Banner called out cornerback Byron Maxwell for his effort and toughness and a report surfaced that Kelly is disliked by many players.

Kelly and several other key contributors have insisted that the wheels are not falling off, and the Eagles just need to win to silence the negative noise. In Week 12. they draw a Detroit Lions team fresh off a two-game winning streak where they have allowed just 29 points. Sam Bradford has been cleared from his concussion, but his status remains up in the air for Thursday's game. If Bradford can't suit up, the Eagles will once again turn to Mark Sanchez who has committed 18 turnovers in the equivalent of 10 complete games with the team.