Follow the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles on RDS2 and on RDS.ca from 1 p.m.
COWBOYS C. EAGLES
13 H, RDS2
No, the Philadelphia Eagles are still not playing for form.
The visit of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon will give them an opportunity to secure the East Division title and brush aside the Washington Commanders.
That’s the collective issue. Because individually, there is a record that is still within Saquon Barkley’s reach and the magic number is 268. This is the number of rushing yards that Barkley must amass in the last two games to become the running back with the most prolific season in history.
Barkley will first try to become the ninth player in history to collect at least 2,000 rushing yards in a season and he needs another 162 yards to get there. He will then be able to attack Eric Dickerson’s record.
The Cowboys defense is having trouble against the ground game this season. She has allowed more than 2,000 yards to her opponents and the average of 4.8 yards allowed per carry is among the worst in the NFL.
Barkley could have an interesting workload since Kenny Pickett will be the starting quarterback. Jalen Hurts is still suffering from a concussion suffered last week.
In the Cowboys camp, quarterback Cooper Rush seems to be slowly settling in for five games. He threw nine touchdown passes against just one interception, while averaging 226 yards per game.
However, he will be without his star receiver CeeDee Lamb, injured for the rest of the season.
PACKERS C. VIKINGS
16 H, RDS2
The Minnesota Vikings’ pursuit of the NL title and Week 1 playoff bye continues.
The Vikings’ 13-2 record, the same as the Detroit Lions, allows them to still hope for a misstep by Detroit that could open the door to the division title.
Their first challenge will be the Green Bay Packers, who have been in good shape recently. The Packers pulverized the New Orleans Saints last week and held off the Lions earlier this month.
The Minnesota defense will have to be wary of the Packers, who have scored at least 30 points in each of their last five outings.
These successes are largely attributable to the performance of Josh Jacobs, author of nine touchdowns during this sequence.
The Vikings will be looking for a ninth straight victory. A win against the Packers on Sunday and the conference title will be decided in the final week of activities, when they face the Lions.
The Vikings beat the Packers 31-29 earlier this season.
FALCONS C. COMMANDERS
20 H, RDS2
Everything is still at stake for the National South Division title, but a victory for the Atlanta Falcons against the Washington Commanders would boost their chances of winning the division.
A setback on the other hand and their chances of participating in the playoffs will drop to 34% according to the NFL website. The stakes are immense and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be watching their match very carefully.
For a second week in a row, the Falcons will trust rookie Michael Penix Jr. Barely a week after his baptism of fire, he will play his first Sunday night game.
In his first start last week, he did well with 18 completions for 202 yards. However, he did not throw a touchdown pass and was the victim of an interception.
“I’m not going to lie, I’ll be nervous when I come out of the tunnel. But as soon as I step on the field, it’s a different mentality,” Penix said.
