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Giants Now: NFC East Roundup in pivotal Week 17

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New York Giants

Can the Giants make their points Sunday afternoon? The answer to that question may well determine if they remain alive in the NFL East title race, even for just seven hours or so. The Giants will likely need a scoring outburst to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, which is step one of two on their path to finishing in first place.

Check out the Giants' Wednesday injury report ahead of Sunday's crucial Week 17 matchup against the Cowboys.

Quarterback Daniel Jones talks about his health heading into the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.

The chance for a division title is on the line when the New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys in the regular-season finale at MetLife Stadium. Big Blue can clinch its first NFC East championship since 2011 with a win over Dallas (1 p.m. ET kickoff) and a Washington loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night. With the Eagles already eliminated, the NFC East will continue its streak of producing no repeat champions since Philadelphia won four in a row from 2001-04.

Week 17 is here, and for the Giants, their season may come down to Sunday's matchup against the division rival Dallas Cowboys... The winner of Sunday's Giants-Cowboys matchup heads to the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the NFC if Washington falls to Philadelphia later that evening. Here are the top story lines heading into this Week 17 NFC East showdown at MetLife Stadium.

Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott sounds ready to finish the season strong. The veteran running back is not listed on Wednesday's injury report after returning from a calf injury last Sunday to rush for a season-best 105 yards in the Cowboys' 37-17 win over the Eagles.

It's a criticism that's been following the Cowboys' defense in recent weeks, and DeMarcus Lawrence isn't trying to hear it. The Cowboys are riding a three-game winning streak in large part thanks to their defense, which has forced 10 takeaways and allowed an average of just 19 points per game during that stretch.

Four players on the Cowboys' current active roster did not practice today: linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (ankle), safety Donovan Wilson (illness), safety Darian Thompson (concussion) and cornerback Rashard Robinson (knee). Safety Xavier Woods (ribs) and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring and groin) had limited participation.

The Cowboys are down to the final week of the regular season and somehow, they're still in this thing. In fact, they've got a realistic chance to advance to the playoffs. Here are five key points of emphasis as they head to Sunday's game with the Giants.

When this month began, the Cowboys were all but buried in the NFC East standings. Not only did they need to do something they hadn't done all year and win consecutive games, but they had to get some outside help from other teams. All of that has happened, but the work isn't done yet. Still, linebacker Jaylon Smith said there's a reason why the Cowboys have turned things around.

View rare photos from the historic rivalry between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Philadelphia Eagles

In Game 16, a Sunday nighter in front of a national television audience playing the role of spoiler in the NFC East, the Eagles will be in that unfamiliar role in the familiar, and very uncomfortable, position of patching together an offensive line that could very well have its 14th different starting combination in 17 weeks. 

The Eagles activated the 21-day practice windows for Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks and rookie linebacker Davion Taylor on Wednesday.

Never does a team use injuries as an excuse in the NFL because, as Head Coach Doug Pederson said on Monday, "football is a rough sport, man." Every team in the league has to navigate the minefield of injuries, but what's happened to the Eagles in 2020 on the defensive side of the football – OK, both sides – has directly impacted the blueprint the team put in place and the week-to-week lineup around whom coordinator Jim Schwartz has gameplanned.

Twice in his playing career, Doug Pederson reached the Super Bowl, winning once. He won Super Bowl LII in his second season as the head coach here. He knows the formula. He knows what it takes. As Pederson said on Monday, he is looking forward to having the chance to turn the Eagles around in 2021 after this disappointing 2020. 

For the first time in his NFL starting life, quarterback Jalen Hurts had "rookie" moments on Sunday in a 37-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. He committed three turnovers, all of them in the fourth quarter and all of them in Dallas territory, and was unable to get the offense back on track after a hot start that cooled quickly in the second quarter.

Washington Football Team

Antonio Gibson was lined up in the shotgun with he took the ensuing handoff and sprinted towards the sideline. As he followed his blockers and turned upfield, Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson made a last ditch diving effort to bring Gibson down for a loss. Gibson took a stutter step, weaved through players and scampered forward for a 22-yard gain. Not bad for a running back who has been battling turf toe for the better part of three weeks.

The Washington Football Team announced Wednesday that they have made several roster moves.

In fewer than three weeks, he went from preparing for his final exams to trying to help the Washington Football Team win the NFC East. And if Alex Smith cannot play Sunday night in Philadelphia, he'll be the starting quarterback for a franchise looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. But who exactly is Taylor Heinicke? Let's start from the beginning.

Scott Turner reflects on the long season, the challenges of 2020 and how his unit is a completely different one that took down the Eagles way back in Week 1.

The battle for the NFC East will come down to Week 17, and the entire country will have the chance to watch it unfold. The Washington Football Team's final matchup of the regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles was flexed to NBC's Sunday Night Football, the NFL announced Sunday night. A win would result in Washington claiming the division crown for the first time since 2015 and hosting a playoff game against either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Los Angeles Rams.

View photos of Wednesday's practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center as the Giants gear up for the Cowboys.

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