Sizing Up the Final 6 Weeks for the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC East Race

With the Dallas Cowboys slated to play the 3-7 Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles scheduled to play the 3-7 New York Giants in Week 17, it might be safe to conclude that the NFC East won't have a do-or-die game on the final Sunday night of the regular season for the first time in four years.

However, with Dallas and Philadelphia both sitting at 7-3 entering the home stretch, there is a very good chance the division winner once again won't be crowned until that day.

Here's a breakdown of how the Eagles and Cowboys got to this point, as well as what lies ahead over the next six weeks. 

Where they rank

Technically, the Eagles lead the division because they have a 2-0 record within the NFC East, whereas Dallas is 1-1 in divisional games. However, that's hardly relevant considering that both teams have four more divisional games, including two against each other. 

Here's an in-depth breakdown of what each team has done during the first 11 weeks of the season:

Stat	Dallas	Philly
Record	7-3	7-3
Scoring offense	7th	4th
Yards/game	6th	4th
Passer rating	5th	27th
Yards/rush attempt	2nd	19th
Turnovers/game	22nd	32nd
Scoring defense	10th	20th
Yards allowed/game	15th	26th
Passer rating against	13th	21st
YPC against	27th	13th
Takeaways/game	10th	13th
Offensive DVOA	8th	18th
Defensive DVOA	21st	8th
Offensive PFF grade	2nd	10th
Defensive PFF grade	11th	7th
Categories won	9	5
Average rank	11th	16th
Top 10	8	4
Bottom 10	1	3

On the horizon

In addition to those two games against each other (one in Dallas and one in Philadelphia), the Cowboys and Eagles both travel to play the Giants and Redskins. Up to that point, it couldn't be more even. 

• Last year, Philly won in Dallas, while Dallas won in Philly. It wasn't a conventional split, but a split nonetheless. 
• Dallas has won three straight versus the Giants and two in a row against Big Blue in New York. 
• Philly has won two of its last three versus the Giants and beat New York on the road last year.
• Dallas has won two of its last three versus the Redskins and beat Washington on the road last year.
• Philly has won three straight versus the Redskins and beat Washington on the road last year.

The difference lies in those two games against non-common opponents. 

• The Cowboys play the Chicago Bears on the road in Week 14 and host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16. Those teams are a combined 10-10. The Indy game is at home, and the Colts might have wrapped up the AFC South by then. The Chicago game looks tough, considering that the Cowboys have been crushed by the Bears in each of the last two seasons, but Dallas is 4-0 away from home and Chicago is only 1-3 this year at Soldier Field. 
• The Eagles host Tennessee this Sunday and Seattle in Week 14. The natural advantage there is they have an extra home game, which is huge, as Philly is 5-0 this season at Lincoln Financial Field. The Titans and Seahawks are a combined 8-12, but Seattle did win the Super Bowl last year. 

The only scheduling quirk for the Eagles is that they have to travel to Dallas on short rest for a Thursday night game next week, but the Cowboys will have even less rest coming off this Sunday's prime-time game against the Giants. Dallas then has to play on a second consecutive Thursday in Chicago in Week 14, which means they'll be playing three games in 12 days. 

So, in terms of the schedule, Philly might have a tiny edge.

However, the Cowboys are fresher coming off their bye week, and injuries have to be considered a factor for the Eagles. They're still without starting quarterback Nick Foles, who could be out for all six of these games, and defensive quarterback DeMeco Ryans is on injured reserve.

Both of these teams have lost two of their last four games, but the trajectory might be a little better for the Cowboys. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon