NFC East still far from decided despite surging Cowboys, slumping Eagles

Following Dallas' 33-13 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, the Cowboys struck a celebratory tone. Owner Jerry Jones commended quarterback Dak Prescott for his 271-yard, two-touchdown performance.

"For him to come in here and play like that against Philadelphia, he should have his due," Jones said, per ESPN.com. "That ought to shut that door of questioning his ability to play in a playoff-type game."

Conversely, veteran Philadelphia defensive tackle Fletcher Cox seemed to indicate that the team is facing an identity crisis.

"I think the biggest thing for this team now is really find out who the dudes are," he said, per ESPN.com. "I've been a part of teams where the dudes in the locker room do something about it, and I've been part of teams where it kind of crumbles. And now it's time to see the real leadership, the real players, the guys that's elite on this team, myself included, step up and do something about it."

The Cowboys and Eagles are tied for first in the NFC East, each with a 10-3 record.

Despite Sunday's result, however, the division race is far from over. The proof is in the remaining schedules of the teams.

Philadelphia's last four regular-season games are as follows (all records current as of Dec. 10):

Dec. 18: at Seattle (6-7)

Dec. 25: vs. NY Giants (4-8)

Dec. 31: vs. Arizona (3-10)

Jan. 7: at NY Giants (4-8)

Dallas has these opponents remaining:

Dec. 17: at Buffalo (7-6)

Dec. 24: at Miami (9-3)

Dec. 30: vs. Detroit (9-4)

Jan. 7: at Washington (4-9)

The Eagles have the easiest remaining schedule of any team in the NFL, with each opponent under .500. A road game in Seattle is usually daunting, but the Seahawks are on a four-game losing streak and could start backup quarterback Drew Lock for a second straight week. In Sunday's loss to San Francisco, Lock started in place of Geno Smith, who was a late scratch with a groin injury.

On the other hand, the Cowboys have the toughest remaining schedule of any team, including back-to-back road games in Buffalo and Miami. Every remaining game for the Bills — who won at Kansas City on Sunday — is a playoff game. To stay in the hunt, they can't afford to lose.  

The Dolphins, meanwhile, are aiming for their first AFC East championship since 2008 and perhaps a No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs for the first time since 1984.

However, there's also the issue of the NFC East "curse." There hasn't been a repeat champion of the NFC East since Philadelphia won four straight division titles from 2001-04. As the defending champs, the Eagles will be in a precarious spot if recent form holds.

Still, as indicated by NBC Sports, if the Eagles win out, they'll win the NFC East with a better conference record than the Cowboys.

While Sunday night's result was another massive win for Dallas and another ugly loss for Philadelphia, nothing in the NFC East has been decided yet. Division champions in this tight a race aren't crowned in Week 14.