With Cowboys' Win Over Saints, Eagles Face Must-Win Against 49ers

After taking sole-possession of first place last Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles knew they had a shot to build a two-game lead in the NFC East under a few circumstances.

• The Dallas Cowboys lose to the undefeated New Orleans Saints
• The Eagles win against the San Francisco 49ers

With the way the Saints' season has turned out, it almost seemed as if they’d have no problem defeating the Cowboys in the Louisiana Superdome—especially with all the pressure Dallas would face with the talks surrounding another December collapse.

Instead, the Cowboys showed the rest of the world why this season is different from the past, and the December talks have no effect, as they look to make a strong run at this year’s playoffs.

Their 24-17 win over the previously undefeated Saints was a huge win for a franchise looking to make a statement in the NFC.

With the Cowboys' win over the Saints, the pressure now placed on the shoulders of the Philadelphia Eagles to hold on to their NFC East lead.

The Eagles were hoping to receive an opportunity to build their division lead to two games with a win over the 49ers and a chance to clinch the division the following week against the Denver Broncos.

Instead, the Eagles face a must-win on Sunday to maintain their lead in the NFC East.

With a win, they hold a one-game lead for at least another week.

A loss, and Philadelphia is back as a wild-card team since the Cowboys hold the head-to-head tiebreaker from their win over the Eagles in Week Nine.

A win over the 49ers Sunday not only allows the Eagles to hold on to their one-game lead in the NFC East but clinches the team at least a playoff spot.

With the way these two teams have played as of late, there is a chance the Eagles-Cowboys matchup in Week 17 could not only determine the outcome of the NFC East and who earns a home playoff game, but a possible preview of a first-round playoff matchup in January.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com

He is also the founder of the new NFCEastFootball.com