The Dallas Cowboys are 12-5 heading into Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders and need to win if they want higher playoff seeding.
Despite the odds, the Cowboys have managed to be in a position to have higher playoff seeding potential this postseason.
Dallas Cowboys Playoff Chances | Week 18 Update
Note that this article was originally published on Jan. 7 at 8:05 a.m. before Sunday’s games began. The results of this week’s games are below and will continue to be updated throughout the day.
The Dallas Cowboys have clinched the AFC East and the No. 2 seed. They will host the Green Bay Packers in the NFC in Wild Card Weekend.
1 p.m. ET Games Update
Lions (12-5) defeated Vikings (7-10)
Buccaneers (9-8) defeated Panthers (2-15)
Saints (9-8) defeated Falcons (7-10)
4 p.m. ET Games Update
Cowboys (12-5) defeated Commanders (4-13)
Giants (6-11) defeated Eagles (11-6)
Rams (10-7) defeated 49ers (12-5)
Keep reading below to see the playoff scenarios for the Cowboys entering Week 18. And head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff picture.
NFC Seeding Ahead of Week 18
With the help of the Eagles’ loss to the Cardinals last week, the Cowboys are now sitting pretty in the second seed.
Here is what the rankings look like for the NFC playoff picture:
- San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Los Angeles Rams
- Green Bay Packers
Can the Cowboys Clinch the NFC East?
What a difference one loss made this week. Although the odds were low of the Cowboys being able to clinch the NFC East, they are going into Week 18 with only one goal: beat the Commanders.
With a win over the Commanders, the Cowboys will clinch the NFC East title for the first time since the 2021 season.
MORE: Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart
Since the Eagles didn’t win both of their final two games of the regular season, they put the Cowboys in a position to take over the NFC East.
Even if the Eagles beat the Giants this week, it wouldn’t matter, and the Cowboys would still take first in the NFC East.
Can the Cowboys Clinch the NFC?
Not only would a win against the Commanders keep the Cowboys at the top of the NFC East, but it would put them in the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Although they can’t get the No. 1 seed because of the 49ers’ win over the Commanders last week, they are still playing for a higher seed that would give them a home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Cowboys would fall to the No. 3 seed with a loss to the Commanders.
However, with the Commanders struggling to win this season and their laundry list of injuries, the Cowboys have no excuse not to win on Sunday.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
