Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants In 3-Way NFC East Race Before Big Week 7 Games

The Dallas Cowboys missed a golden opportunity to reclaim sole possession of first place in the division. A surprising loss Sunday for the defending NFC East champs makes things very interesting ahead of Week 7 in the 2019 NFL season.

The New York Jets picked up their first win of the season by upsetting Dallas 24-22 as seven-point home underdogs. It extended the Cowboys’ losing streak to three games, giving them a 3-3 record.

Earlier in the day, the Philadelphia Eagles blew their chance to move to 4-2, losing 38-20 to the Minnesota Vikings. Sitting at .500 after Week 6, Philadelphia and Dallas are only a game in front of the New York Giants, who dropped to 2-4 with a Thursday night loss against the New England Patriots.

The Washington Redskins aren’t a threat, barely beating the winless Miami Dolphins to improve to 1-5. Washington is 0-3 in the division

It was only a few weeks ago that Dallas was considered to be a top Super Bowl contender in the NFC. The Cowboys’ hot start has turned out to be the product of a weak schedule with Dallas defeating the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins comfortably.

Losses to the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers might have been proof that the Cowboys weren’t among the conference’s elite teams, but Week 6 was supposed to be a game that would get Dallas back on track. With Sam Darnold back at quarterback for the Jets, New York was a much tougher matchup for Dallas than had been anticipated.

Darnold outplayed Dak Prescott, who has seen his early and very brief MVP candidacy go up in flames. The quarterback started the season with 10 total touchdowns and two interceptions in the first three weeks. The free-agent-to-be has since totaled three touchdowns with four picks.

The Cowboys will need a much better performance from Prescott in Week 7. Dallas will host Philadelphia in a contest that could go a long way in determining the NFC East winner.

There’s a good chance the loser of that game will end up in a second-place tie with the Giants close to the midway point of the season. New York will host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7.

The Cowboys currently hold the tiebreaker over the Giants because of their Week 1 victory.

The Giants are three-point home favorites against the Cardinals, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. Dallas is favored by a field goal over the visiting Eagles.