Can the Cowboys win the NFC? Analyzing scenarios and Dallas' chances of finishing #1 in standings
The Dallas Cowboys entered this week with a 11-4 record and needed a win to keep themselves in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC. This space is currently occupied by their division rivals Philadelphia Eagles, who are at 13-2 and just need another win to wrap up the NFC East division.
Any loss today would have ended their chances of finishing in the top spot in their division. A win would have put them one game behind the Eagles with just one game to go and them holding the divisional tiebreaker, having defeated Philadelphia 40-34 last week. Dallas has lost just one divisional game against Philadelphia, whereas the Eagles have lost one to the Cowboys and one to the Commanders.
Since there is only one more week to go of the regular season, a defeat today would have kept them two games behind the Philadelphia Eagles with just one game to go. And thankfully for the Cowboys fans, that did not happen as they won 27-13 against the Tennessee Titans.
Dallas Cowboys' remaining path to the playoffs
The Dallas Cowboys now move on to their last week with a 12-4 record. We have already highlighted that if the Philadelphia Eagles lose both their remaining games, the Dallas Cowboys win the division.
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However, for them to clinch the overall first seed in the NFC, they need help from other teams as well. The San Francisco 49ers are also at an 11-4 record and will need to lose a win to fall at least a game behind Dallas. They are up against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals in the coming days. Both these teams have a losing record and the Cowboys will need to hope that someone can provide an upset. The conference tiebreaker currently benefits the 49ers 9-2 to 8-3.
The Minnesota Vikings are the current second seed in the NFC with a 12-3 record. They need to lose one of their remaining games as well to fall behind the Dallas Cowboys. They play their next game against the resurgent Green Bay Packers and a loss will tie them with the Dallas Cowboys going into the final week. But they are currently losing the conference tiebreaker to the Cowboys 7-3 to 8-3.
In summation, after their win today, the Dallas Cowboys need to win in their last game, the Philadelphia Eagles need to lose both theirs and the 49ers and the Vikings need to lose one game each, for Dallas to get the first seed in the NFC.