Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones admitted Tuesday to a healthy dose of fear for the Philadelphia Eagles.

That's a far cry from Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's preseason jab at the Eagles, when he made a thinly veiled reference to the "all-hype team" and vowed that the Cowboys would "beat their a-- when we play them."

Ryan had to eat his words after the Eagles racked up 495 total yards during a 34-7 rout on Oct. 30, prompting the brash defensive coordinator to take all of the blame for the embarrassing loss.

That was one of the only times this season the Eagles (6-8) looked worthy of hype generated by their several high-profile offseason additions. However, they'll come to Cowboys Stadium on Christmas Eve still in contention for the NFC East title, although the Cowboys are in the driver's seat of the division.

For the Eagles to repeat as NFC East champions, they must beat the Cowboys on the road and defeat Washington at home on Jan. 1. They need the New York Giants to lose to the New York Jets, then beat Dallas in their last game.

If all four scenarios work out Philadelphia's way, the Eagles would win the division in a three-way tie at 8-8 because they would have the best record in the East at 5-1.

"Because it is the Eagles and after the butt-kicking they gave us up in Philadelphia, I'm scared," Jones said Tuesday on KRLD-FM. "It's that kind of feeling. The respect turns into being afraid of what they can do to you if you have some breakdowns out there, so you can put that scared there if you want to. I think sometimes I know I do my best when I'm scared."

Those comments came just a few breaths after Jones strongly hinted he believes the Cowboys (8-6) have the potential to make a Super Bowl run.

The primary reason for Jones' optimism is the performance of quarterback Tony Romo, who is in the midst of arguably the best year of his career. Romo has thrown for 3,895 yards and 29 touchdowns with only nine interceptions this season and has 21 touchdowns and only four picks in the past 10 games.

With Romo healthy and playing this well, Jones has said it would be a "career disappointment" not to qualify for the playoffs, something the Cowboys could do Saturday if they beat the Eagles and the Giants lose to the Jets.