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Dallas Cowboys possible outcomes and playoff scenarios before week 18

With a chance to grab both the NFC East title and the No. 1 seed in the conference the Cowboys will be gunning for it in Week 18, but they may also need a little help from others.

Paul Rudder
Paul RudderEnglish_AS
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Dallas Cowboys possible outcomes and playoff scenarios before week 18
ANDY LYONSAFP

If there’s one team we expect to see in the postseason, it’s got to be the Dallas Cowboys and while we may not have known exactly how they would advance to the playoffs, or who they would play, they definitely had lady luck smile on them over the weekend.

The Dallas Cowboys could take the NFC East and No. 1 seed

With the Philadelphia Eagles losing to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday - their second straight loss - and Dallas winning against Tennessee, the door was officially opened for Dallas to not only steal away the NFC East title, but potentially secure the No. 1 seed in the conference as well. Of course, there are a few factors in play: Firstly, the Cowboys need to win their Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders who - it must be said - have already been eliminated. Then there’s the tiebreaker between the Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. The latter, who lost on Sunday were previously ahead of Dallas in the win category, but with their loss on Sunday, Dallas now has the tiebreaker having beaten them head-to-head prior to Thanksgiving.

The catch comes in the form of the San Francisco 49ers who - it must also be said - did not lose, though it was a close call. With that being the case, the 49ers and Cowboys now sit on equal records, but San Francisco does have the conference tiebreaker over them. This is all to say, should Dallas manage to win the NFC East i.e., win their Week 18 game and see Philadelphia lose theirs, they could still end up as the No. 2 seed if the 49ers win at home against the Arizona Cardinals. So, what are the potential outcomes for the Dallas Cowboys?

Cowboys’ possible outcomes & opponents

If all of the above confused you a little, then no worries, we’ll break it down for you. Depending on their result and how things go elsewhere, the Cowboys will be the No. 1 seed, No. 2 seed, or No. 5 seed heading into the playoffs. in the playoffs. Of course, it goes without saying that they will be giving their all to take the conference top spot and not just the division title, which will grant them a first-round bye, meaning an automatic spot in the Divisional Round and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. At this point, if they can win the NFC East title, their tiebreaker over the Vikings and the Bucs’ lock on the No. 4 seed, will mean they can’t be seeded lower than No. 2 in the conference. Let’s break it down:

  • The Cowboys clinch the No. 1 seed by defeating Washington AND both the 49ers and Eagles lose. Dallas would receive the bye and then host the lowest-remaining seed in the divisional round.
  • The Cowboys enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed with a win over Washington, an Eagles loss and a 49ers win. Dallas would face either Green Bay, Seattle or Detroit in a home game.
  • The Cowboys will be the No. 5 seed and play @ Tampa Bay.