Since, the 1pm games really aren't of any significance to the Eagles, I figured we'd skip our usual early games open thread for a pre game discussion.
For the second straight year the Eagles and Cowboys will face off in the final game of the season with a lot on the line. Last year, it was a playoff spot up for grabs. In what was essentially a playoff game, the winner got a wildcard berth and the loser went home. The losers were the Cowboys just in case you forgot. 44-6.
This year, both the NFC East title and playoff seeding are on the line. The winner gets the NFC East title & the Eagles will get the #2 seed in the NFC and first round bye with a win. Dallas could also get a first round bye with a win plus a Vikings and Cardinals loss.
So which season finale is the bigger game?
For me, there's two big factors here. Last season, I believe there was clearly more on the line. The fact is, that the loser of today's game is still in the playoffs. Last year, there was no consolation prize for the loser. The loser(Dallas) went home. However, last year's game did not have the benefit of the buildup this year's game has. Remember that it took a Raider's win over Tampa at 1pm for that game at 4p to have the meaning it did. In contrast, this season we got a full week of buildup about the magnitude of this game on ESPN, in the local papers, on BGN... Last season, we didn't really know the game mattered until kickoff. Hype is a major factor in what makes a game feel "big"
What do you think?