The Eagles can clinch the NFC East with a win against the Cardinals on Sunday and a Dallas loss or tie to the Lions.

But should we want Dallas to win?

The Eagles need the Lions to lose this game. If the Eagles and Lions win out, the Eagles (who currently own the second seed) will be bump to the third seed because the Lions will have the tiebreaker (common opponents). Detroit could beat Dallas, but the Birds would need Minnesota to beat the Lions in Week 18.

So… we have root for Dallas?

Absolutely not!

I have seen this over the internet in the last few hours. Many fans are saying they would rather have the Cowboys win. But why? I get having the second seed would be better. And having Detroit win out could also stand in the way of the Eagles (very slim) chances at getting the top seed (assuming the 49ers lose one of their next two games. So, yes, the Eagles do need a Lions’ loss.

But that is assuming the Eagles win out, which is not a guarantee at all. They just squeezed by the Giants, a game in which the Eagles allowed 15 points off turnovers and made mistakes. It shouldn’t have been that close, even though I thought it would only be a 13-point game. But the way the game went, the Eagles should’ve won by at least 15 points.

Beating the Cardinals and the Giants again is not a sure thing.

That’s why we should root on Detroit to beat Dallas.

If the Eagles lose to Arizona and Dallas wins, the Eagles are tied again in the division. But the Eagles could still remain one game up if Detroit beats Dallas and the Eagles lose.

The Eagles should beat the Cardinals, though. And if the Lions beat the Cowboys, I wouldn’t be upset at all. The Eagles would be NFC East champions, assuming they win.

But the Lions could lose to the Vikings to end the season. The Lions beating the Cowboys would guarantee the Eagles a home playoff game in the first round. Getting the third or seed might not matter. Most likely the Eagles will still have to play at San Francisco if they make the NFC Championship Game. And I’m not too concerned about having to travel to Detroit. But I am concerned about having to go play in Dallas, a place the Cowboys haven’t lost in 16 games.

If the Eagles can clinch the division Sunday, then I want it! I want to know the Eagles are going to have that first-round home game, and the quicker that happens the better.