NFC East X factors: Motivation matters in Week 14

The Bengals are on a three-game losing streak with a 4-8 record but quarterback Joe Burrow leads the league with 3,337 yards and only four teams have scored more points per game (27.9) than Cincinnati. 

The Cowboys score 20.7 points per contest and the Pittsburgh Steelers needed 44 points to beat the Bengals last week. If Dallas hopes to win its fourth-straight game, they’ll need another big game from Dowdle.

DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants 

If the Giants hope to beat the Saints on the road in Week 14, they’ll have to stop Alvin Kamara, the NFL’s seventh-leading rusher and a quarterback in Derek Carr who's thrown six touchdowns without an interception in his last four games. It won’t be easy now that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II is on the IR with a dislocated elbow.

That’s not all. According to NBC Sports' Myles Simmons, defensive end Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck) and linebacker Bobby Okereke (back) were unable to practice on Thursday while defensive linemen D.J. Davidson (shoulder) and Jordan Riley (knee) were limited.

Thibodeaux missed five games with a wrist injury himself this year and has just three tackles and no sacks since returning in Week 12. He’s eligible for a contract extension at the end of the season, so every game matters for the 23-year-old edge-rusher.

If he can find the form that led to 50 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 2023, the Giants could leave New Orleans with win No. 3 on Sunday.

HC Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

How do you motivate a first-place team on an eight-game win streak against a three-win team they’re favored to beat by 13 points. That’s the dilemma facing Sirianni this week as his team prepares to face the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field.

Philadelphia is still riding high after an upset victory over Baltimore in Week 13 and has another big game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15. 

The Panthers have played better since Bryce Young returned as the team’s starting quarterback while losing each of their last two games by only three points in overtime defeats.

If Sirianni can’t get his team focused in what could easily become a “trap game,” the Panthers might leave Philadelphia with their third win in the last five games.