One week ago, the Dallas Cowboys controlled their own playoff fate and had a lot of momentum going into their pivotal NFC East rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles. After all, they were fresh off of a 44-21 shellacking of the Los Angeles Rams at the time, and the Eagles were fielding a M.A.S.H. unit after seeing several of their top stars unable to take the field due to injury. In the end, none of that mattered, because the Cowboys played like nothing was on the line in Week 16, while the Eagles did the polar opposite en route to their 17-9 victory -- taking ownership of the NFC East in the process with one game left to play. 

That leaves the Cowboys in disarray and trying to now back into the playoffs by way of a defeat over the Washington Redskins and an Eagles loss to the New York Giants, with both things being entirely possible, but neither being a guarantee. 

Thanks to their inability to wear down an Eagles club besieged by injury, the Cowboys could very well defeat the Redskins and find it meaningless, their only consolation being the avoidance of a losing season; by virtue of finishing out at 8-8 for the fourth time in Jason Garrett's nine-year tenure as head coach. If the season ends just that unceremoniously, be it in Week 17 or shortly thereafter, don't count on there being a tenth season for Garrett in North Texas. 

Don't miss the action, because everything is still on the line for the Cowboys, even if they now need help.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
TV: FOX | Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Preview

The Redskins themselves are in the hunt for a new full-time head coach, and interim Bill Callahan -- once an offensive line coach and play-caller for the Cowboys, ironically -- hasn't exactly shocked the world since taking over for a fired Jay Gruden. He'll get one final chance to make his case for the lead chair by spoiling the Cowboys' playoff hopes, with the absence of rookie first-round pick Dwayne Haskins due to a high ankle sprain raising the level of difficulty. 

Case Keenum will get the start, and he's proven capable at times in his NFL career. Callahan needs him to do it one more time, while Garrett is praying his defense can do something -- anything -- better than what was put on film against Carson Wentz in Week 16.

On the other side of the ball, all eyes will again be on Dak Prescott's shoulder, having been limited in practice the entire week prior and subsequently playing poorly in Philadelphia. He's missed multiple practices ahead of his bout with the Redskins and while the expectation is he'll play, time will tell if fewer reps will help or hurt him -- the lean being toward the latter. It's a Redskins secondary that will give up chunk plays, but that could be negated if Prescott's inaccuracies from last week show up again to close out the regular season. 

The wise move would be to lean heavily on Ezekiel Elliott and then ask for another big game from Michael Gallup and, possibly, from Amari Cooper. Cooper says he's fully healthy but, if true, they need him to prove it against a defense that's allowed an average of 39 points in their last two games; and he'd like the coaches to scheme more effectively, in a bit of disconnect that simply shines a brighter light on the issues in Dallas. 

It's win or go home for the Cowboys, and unfortunately, it could now be win and still go home, but the Redskins plan for them is simple: 

Beat Dallas and toss the math in the trash receptacle with both of their 2019 seasons. 

Prediction

Give the edge to the Cowboys in this one, and by a hefty margin, based on what Vegas is thinking. 

The current line at SportsLine has Dallas as 11-point favorites to down Washington this weekend, but neither team is consistent, which could force this contest to go down to the wire. Place your bets accordingly, and be sure to check out more from our experts at CBSSports.com -- including Will Brinson and Pete Prisco -- to help with your betting chances.