What to Watch For While the Eagles Aren't Playing

Since the Eagles and Giants will both be on bye tomorrow, there won't be a whole lot to keep Philly fans entertained, right? Not exactly. Here are two NFC East matchups that should keep you from falling asleep on the couch.

Jacksonville @ Dallas

After an abysmal 1-5 start and the loss of Tony Romo to a broken collarbone, the Cowboys will have to make a stand here if they hope to pull themselves out of the NFL's basement. This will be backup quarterback Jon Kitna's first start as a Cowboy and his first complete game since October 5th, 2008. There's a chance he'll be able to shake the rust off against Jacksonville's sub-par pass defense, but don't expect that to give Dallas the win. Remember, this is a Jacksonville team that has already shown enough mettle to top the Colts this year. The game could very well come down to a last-second field goal - and between Josh "59yd Game-Winner" Scobee and David "73% Completion Rate" Buehler, who would you take?

For you fantasy addicts, look for Felix Jones to have a big stat day as the Jaguars have currently one of the league's worst defenses against the run - allowing an average of 129 rushing yards per game. He'll also likely be a favorite checkdown target of Kitna.

The Final Word: Whether the Cowboys win or lose this game is honestly pretty inconsequential to the rest of the NFC East, at least for this season, but who doesn't enjoy watching a train wreck at least a little bit?

Matchup #2 after the jump...

Washington @ Detroit

Fun fact: the last time the Redskins and Lions met was in week 3 of 2009, when the pride of Detroit went on to edge Washington by a score of 19-14. It would be one of only two games the Lions won that year and their first victory in 19 straight weeks. Now, the Lions have come back stronger than before, boasting a clutch of talented young players and a win already on the season. The Redskins already have an embarrassing loss to the St. Louis Rams under their belt - but, then again, so do the Lions. The only edge here is that the Lions are coming off of a bye week and should be well-rested.

Speaking of bye weeks, Detroit's came at just the right time for rookie superstar Jahvid Best, who had been experiencing a decreased gametime performance due to turf toe. He has been cleared to play this week and should tear up a Redskins run defense that's currently allowing over 113 yards per game. This will also be quarterback Matthew Stafford's first start since he was knocked out of action in week one with a shoulder injury.

The Final Word: Injuries will likely be the deciding factor in this one. With the Lions relatively healthy once again and the Redskins experiencing bumps and bruises to about half of their starters, the Lions could very well pull out an upset.