As the 2023 NFL season nears its conclusion in Week 14, these final games could be difference makers.
The Dallas Cowboys just made the NFC East -- and NFC -- race all the more interesting.
With a 33-13 win versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, both teams moved to 10-3 with the Cowboys putting extra pressure on their divisional rivals.
Dallas dominated the first half, leading 24-6 after putting up 10 in the first and 14 in the second. Dak Prescott accounted for two of the three scores with passing touchdowns while Rico Dowdle ran in the other.
The second half started off dicey for Dallas after Prescott's fumble on a sack was returned to the house by rookie Jalen Carter. But the Eagles still failed to get going after that play in another blowout loss to a top NFC side.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Let's analyze the game further with five takeaways:
Stephon Gilmore aged like fine wine
You wouldn't think Gilmore is 33 years old after his stellar all-around play. The cornerback led Dallas with nine tackles, including a crucial fourth-down stop that really solidified its dominance in this one.
NFL
He also forced a fumble on A.J. Brown that was recovered. Brown had a great night individually, but this was a night all about Gilmore.
Eagles offense disappears again
The Eagles' defensive unit has been struggling over the past few weeks, but the San Francisco 49ers put the entire league on notice on how to slow the offense, too. Philly needed this game to be a shootout to stand a chance given Dallas' strengths on offense and its own lack of defensive power.
But the Eagles couldn't get anything going on offense, with Jalen Hurts held quiet for the second straight game, including another lost fumble. Brown and fellow top wideout DeVonta Smith also lost fumbles. The unit's top three players just couldn't get it done in this one, which proved significant.
Is Brandon Aubrey the best kicker in the league?
It may be an overreaction, but there's no kicker in better form than Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey. And the sweet part? He's still a rookie. The former professional soccer player has already made NFL records this season and is yet to miss, going 30 of 30 thus far.
And in a game where kickers were going to be pivotal, Aubrey, 28, became the first to make a 59- and 60-yarder in the same contest.
He also made all three PATs.
NFC East race remains in Eagles' hands
Despite the loss, all Philly needs to do is win out the rest of the way and be the division winner, even if Dallas also wins out. It's a likely scenario given the Eagles' schedule lightens up after a brutal gauntlet. They play the New York Giants twice and have two NFC West games versus the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
Dallas, meanwhile, now has the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders on its plate.
But the 49ers and Lions are still near the top, so the conference has competitors outside of the NFC East. San Francisco currently is the No. 1 seed after Philly's loss and holds the path if it wins out versus Arizona, Baltimore, Washington and the Los Angeles Rams.
Dak Prescott conquers a big game
The Cowboys desperately needed to win this one to silence the critics. They won a handful of games against teams below .500 but struggled or lost to teams above that mark. Now they can say they've conquered that feat and have a big win under their belt.
Prescott, who's been mentioned frequently in MVP conversations, put up 271 passing yards on 24 of 39 completions with two touchdowns and no picks. The tests don't get much easier for Dallas after this, but Prescott's MVP case finally has something of substance.
