It took 12 weeks of games, but we are finally starting to get some separation in the race for the NFC East Division title. Dallas and Philadelphia are both over .500 at 6-5, but the Cowboys currently hold the tie-breaker because of an earlier win over the Eagles. New York is two games back at 4-7 after this past Sunday’s loss to Dallas, and Washington’s third loss in a row has it in last place at 3-8. In what was my biggest play of the year in my weekly NFC East pick, I cashed in on a 5-Unit play on the “over” in the Cowboys vs. Giants game aided by a line that opened as high as 47 but dropped all the way to 44.5 points by game time. This raised my record on the year to 10-2, which equates to a $2,730 profit on a $100 wager.

Each week of the season, I will briefly preview all the games in the NFC East and highlight my top ‘pick of the week’ with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. I will be tracking the results as the season progresses with the goal of ending up with at least a $1,000 profit with my picks by the end of the year. Since we are up so big already, let’s go for $3,000! All lines quoted have been provided by 5Dimes.

Oakland Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys (Thursday, Nov. 29, 4:30 p.m.)

Oakland is in the midst of what has become another very typical year for this franchise, which has not had a winning record since 2002. The Raiders are 4-7 straight up, and while they are not out of the wild-card race in the AFC, another loss would put a serious dent in their already-fading hopes. They are a profitable 7-4 against the spread, including a 4-1 ATS record on the road. The total has gone over in three of their last four games.

The Cowboys will look to generate some traction from last Sunday’s 24-21 win on a last-second field goal after struggling with consistency all season long. They have an offense that is ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring with 27.1 points a game, but they are ranked 22nd in total yards per game (326.3) and 29th in rushing yards (79.7). This team’s biggest intangible remains Tony Romo’s ability to make plays to win games they should probably lose.

Dallas has been opened as a 10.5-point home favorite for Thursday’s game with the total set at 46.5 points.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, Dec. 1, 1 p.m.)

One of the biggest surprises in the NFC is the Arizona Cardinals at 7-4 both SU and ATS. They probably will not catch Seattle in the NFC West title race, but they are right in the thick of the wild-card race in the conference. Give credit to veteran signal caller Carson Palmer, who has resurrected his career with this impressive run, but this team’s strength lies in a defense that is ranked eighth in the NFL in both yards (317.1) and points (20.3) allowed.

It is no big surprise that Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly has named Nick Foles as his starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Coming off a bye, he has thrown for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns in wins over Oakland, Green Bay and Washington. The biggest surprise for this team has been a defense that went from being ranked near the bottom of the league in points allowed to one that has not given up more than 21 points in any of their last seven games.

The Eagles snapped a 10-game losing streak at home with their Week 11 win over the Redskins, and they have been opened as three-point home favorites for this Sunday’s game, with the total set at 48.5.

NFC East ‘Pick of the Week’

New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins (Sunday, Dec. 1, 8:25 p.m.)

The Giants are well aware just how costly last week’s loss was after stringing together four straight victories to get back into the division title race. You cannot blame this setback on turnovers after starting the season with a -16 ratio through six straight losses. New York did pile up 202 yards on the ground against Dallas, but the big-play threat remains missing from Eli Manning’s repertoire this year. That could easily change this Sunday night against a Washington defense that is ranked 26th in the league against the pass and 31st in points allowed.

Robert Griffin is not the first high-profile quarterback to go through the dreaded sophomore slump, and he will be not be the last, but as far as his immediate future, it might be time to shut him down for the year. Last season’s NFC East champs are on the verge of completely imploding after getting outplayed in almost every phase of the game in this past Monday night’s 27-6 loss to San Francisco as a 5.5-point home underdog.

New York has won five of the last seven meetings in Washington SU, and with this game listed as a “pick,” it presents a perfect opportunity to take advantage of a Redskins’ team that might not win another game this season.

5-Unit Play take New York (pick) over Washington

YTD Record 10-2 (+$2,730)

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Read more articles by Dave Schwab