IRVING, Texas -- During a Tuesday morning radio interview, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he's scared of the Philadelphia Eagles based on the first meeting between the teams and the playoff implications another loss would mean.

The Eagles beat the Cowboys on Oct. 30, 34-7, where they scored on their first six possessions.

"We obviously took a tough loss to the Eagles last time," quarterback Tony Romo said when asked about Jones' comments. "So we know this team is dangerous. We have to play a great game out here to get a win. I know we've approached it that way. We're excited about going and playing those guys."

To become NFC East champs, the Eagles must beat the Cowboys and Washington to close the regular season. The New York Giants, however, must lose to the New York Jets on Saturday and beat the Cowboys on New Year's Day.

If it works out the Eagles, Cowboys and Giants are tied at 8-8 overall but the Eagles clinch the division by winning the tiebreaker with a better division mark at 5-1.

Of course, the Cowboys control their own destiny by winning the next two games to clinch the division.

But there are no guarantees the Cowboys will do that.

"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."

The potential of a NFC East title, Romo's third, could also occur on Saturday given a Cowboys victory and a Giants loss or tie. The Cowboys can also clinch the division title with a tie and a Giants loss.

"We don't think about anything other than just playing these guys this week," Romo said. "It's literally nothing less or more than we're out here to beat the Eagles, that's all we can control. That's what we're going to go out and do and it gives us the best chance to win."