As of Week 9, there is only one division that has been decided, the NFC West. However, there is one more at the cusp of picking a clear winner, the NFC East. This is especially unsettling to those with Dallas Cowboys tickets. Yes, the experts were unsure that the Cowboys would win a paltry 8 games, but the local fan base expected much more.

The good news is Dallas is far from out of contention. The next four weeks could not be more different for the Cowboys and division-leading New York Giants. Dallas has four cream puffs with a combined 11-21 record. The only team with a winning record is the Buffalo Bills at 5-3, but they have lost 2 of the last 3 games as Ryan Fitzgerald has struggled. New York has one hellish itinerary over the next four games. The 49ers, Eagles, Saints, and Packers are four teams with a combined 24-9 record. The only team with a losing record is the Eagles and they have won 2 of the last 3 games.

The Cowboys should be able to vanquish the Bills, Redskins, Dolphins, and Cardinals just in time for the Week 14 matchup with the Giants; even with the bevy of injuries at skill positions on both sides of the football. At the very least, the Cowboys should be able to take three of the four, enter the home game at Cowboys Stadium at 7-5 and in position tie for first place at the very least.

Frankly, with how the early NFC playoff picture is shaping up, the Dallas Cowboys have to finish in first place because it appears the East will be without a wild card representative in the 2011 NFL playoffs. The Detroit Lions are the front runner for the first spot and the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons are in position and playing with the momentum to take the last wild card spot.

Also, the NFC East’s preseason favorite, the Eagles, may be in the beginning of a midseason renaissance. Philly has two straight division wins and they stayed close through three quarters before bowing out to the Bears in the fourth. This is not atypical in the NFC East. Often it is the last team to make a run that wins the division. The Giants do not appear to be the typical NFC East team though, as Eli Manning has sparkled and his reputation has filled in the void left by Peyton’s unusual absence. That means this is the lone opportunity, nay… campaign before the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo, and his broken rib have resigned themselves to a postseason lamenting and watching from the couch.