With the Philadelphia Eagles’ shocking upset loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys now control their own destiny in the NFC East moving forward as a win in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders will give the Cowboys the division and the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Despite needing an unlikely Philadelphia loss in the final two weeks to have a shot at the division, the Cowboys got just that when Kyler Murray and James Conner put together a last-minute game-winning drive at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to take down the Eagles. This comes on the heels of the Cowboys defeating the Detroit Lions 20-19 on Saturday night.
Both the Cowboys and Eagles are tied atop the NFC East at 11-5 going into the final week of the season, but the Cowboys now hold the advantage in the fourth tiebreaker with a better conference record than the Eagles. The first three tiebreakers saw the Cowboys and Eagles tie in head-to-head record, division record and record in common games played.
However, the Cowboys still have work to do as they will travel to Washington next week one year after suffering a brutal 26-6 loss at the hands of the Commanders while also being in the midst of a season that has seen them struggle mightily on the road – owning a sub-par 3-5 record away from AT&T Stadium in 2023.
With a win, the Cowboys can secure their 22nd NFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. That would set up a wild card round playoff game against the No. 7 seed in the NFC and a potential home game in the divisional round with a wild card round win.
If the Cowboys win the division, it would extend the streak of non-repeat champions in the NFC East to 19 seasons – the longest such streak in NFL history and the longest active streak for any division in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL.
Game times have not yet been set for Week 18 as the Cowboys will await the time and date for their matchup against the Commanders which is expected to come from the NFL either late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
Mailbag–Were-the-Cowboys-‘burnt-out’-hero
In an interview last week, DeMarcus Lawrence said that the Cowboys were “burnt out” and that the team was healthy but “the legs get tired.” I was surprised to hear him say that (and Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore seemed surprised as well in a later interview). What’s your take? – Adrian Westbrook/Oklahoma City, OK
Nick Harris: I think any team that is entering the playoffs is obviously feeling the fatigue a little bit more than others knowing there are must-win games to play, but it’s not like the Packers were in a different position. I took Lawrence’s comments as meaning that the December stretch playing the Bills, Dolphins and Lions had the tank emptier than normal going into the playoffs. Regardless, it can’t be an excuse. It can only be a reasoning for why the Cowboys didn’t show up in one of the most disappointing playoff losses in franchise history.
Patrik: My take is simple: DeMarcus Lawrence is still one of the best defenders on this team and in the league, as well as a locker room leader who has done his job at every turn, even when many doubted he could; and that I would like to never, ever again in my life hear about a team being “tired” as a reason for losing in the postseason.
Every player on every playoff team is tired, and yet the understand the mission. The 49ers and Chiefs were more tired than anyone, and yet there they were competing for a championship. Did the Cowboys have adversity? Yes, because they always do and so does every other team. Is every game like a playoff game? I suppose if you make it that way by not handling business early on to then apply undue pressure to yourself in December, but that’s mostly controllable (hint).
In the end, again, I honor Lawrence for his career and the fact he’s still playing at a Pro Bowl level, and keeping the locker room hungry; but the latter is probably why I was most shocked to hear him say that. Just know that Mike Zimmer will hear none of that ever.
