What do the Dallas Cowboys need to clinch the NFC East after beating the Lions?

The Dallas Cowboys were close to losing three consecutive games, but with a little help from the refs, beat the Detroit Lions on Saturday. Dallas went into the clash having suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2021, leaving the Philadelphia Eagles in pole position to secure the NFC East division title for the second straight season. The 11-4 Eagles know that if they win their two remaining games in the 2023 regular season, they will be NFC East champions whatever the 11-5 Cowboys do.

Who do the Cowboys and the Eagles still have to face?

After defeating the Lions in Week 17 this weekend, the Cowboys visit the Washington Commanders in Week 18. Meanwhile, the Eagles welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, then close out their regular season on the road against the New York Giants.

Dallas and Philadelphia have both already made sure of their place in the NFL playoffs. The Cowboys are currently the fifth seed in the NFC, while the Eagles are second in the conference standings as things stand.

What do the Cowboys need to do to win NFC East?

The Cowboys have to win in Week 18 to have any chance of leapfrogging Philadelphia. The Eagles will clinch the NFC East if they win their last two games.

If the Cowboys win their last game and the Eagles lose both of theirs, Dallas will top the NFC East with a 12-5 record that would be one game better than Philadelphia’s 11-6.

If the Cowboys beat the Commanders and the Eagles lose one and win one, the teams will finish with identical win-loss records. In such a scenario, tiebreakers would be required.

What happens if Cowboys and Eagles finish with same regular-season record?

The first tiebreaker used by the NFL is teams’ head-to-head records. This won’t separate the Cowboys and the Eagles, because they each won one of their Week 9 and Week 14 meetings.

The second tiebreaker is teams’ record against division opposition. The Cowboys and the Eagles are also level on this score at present, as they are both at 4-1 against NFC East sides. They each face a team from their division in Week 18, potentially offering the Cowboys a way of pipping Philadelphia to the NFC East crown. If both teams get the same result this weekend, a win for Dallas over the Commanders next week would give them the edge if the Eagles lost to the Giants.

After comparing teams’ head-to-head and division results, the NFL then turns to teams’ records against common opposition. As things stand, the Eagles are 7-3 against common opponents, with two more left. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are 7-4 with one common opponent, the Commanders, remaining.

It would appear, however, that this tiebreaker cannot be used to separate the Cowboys and the Eagles: in any scenario in which either has a better record in this department, either the second tiebreaker would come into play first, or no tiebreaker would be needed at all.

The teams can end up with the same overall record and common-game record, though. This will happen if: the Eagles win and lose, and the Cowboys win both games; or if the Eagles lose twice, and the Cowboys beat the Lions and lose to the Commanders.

This would take us to tiebreaker No. 4, a scenario in which Dallas would win out: the franchises’ conference records. The Cowboys and the Eagles headed into Week 17 tied at 7-3 against NFC teams so far this season, with both playing conference opposition in their last two matches. So were the men from Texas to win one more of their remaining two outings than the Pennsylvanians, they would take top spot in the NFC East.