I was just looking at the standings and this thought occured to me...

If the Eagles can win their next two, and Dallas loses to the Saints (or Redskins the following week), the Eagles will clinch the division.  This of course renders the week 17 showdown in Dallas meaningless.....or would it be?

If this situation plays out, the Eagles would be the NFC's 3rd seed, because we would hold the tiebreaker on Arizona.  But heres the catch.  Dallas is going to have to win the season finale to capture the 2nd wild card.  If Philly mails in that game because they want to rest players, they would essentially be handing Dallas a ticket to the postseason.  Moreover, if Dallas takes the 6th seed......they'd be coming up to Philly the very next week for the opening round of the tournament! 

Now of course, the Giants are still going to have a say in this matter, especially because they hold the tiebreaker over Dallas.  The Giants still have Washington, Carolina, and a Vikings team that more than likely will have nothing to play for in the finale....which in my opinion is a pretty favorable schedule.

But in the event that the 2nd wild card is on the line for Dallas.....does Philly play it hard even if they themselves have nothing to play for?