Cowboys get pre-game Christmas playoff help, now must win

It was almost a perfect Christmas Eve for the Dallas Cowboys by almost having three teams lose that they needed to lose to help them make playoffs.

The Cowboys (8-6) had to settle for two of the three, but it was a nice gift headed into their must-win game against the Seattle Seahawks (8-6) Sunday afternoon.

Losses by the Detroit Lions (8-7) to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons (9-6) to the New Orleans Saints (11-4) turned a playoff longshot into a 50-50 proposition, provided the Cowboys beat the Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles in the season final next Sunday.

The Cowboys need the Falcons to lose to the Panthers next Sunday as well.

If the Panthers (11-4) hadn't rallied for a 22-19 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it would have been a perfect scenario with the Cowboys controlling their own destiny by just needing to win out to make the playoffs.

But now they have a chance with all of Cowboys nation becoming Panthers fans next Sunday.

The Cowboys still need to do their part by beating the Seahawks, who could also make the playoffs by winning out along with a Falcons loss.

The final game won't easy as well, considering the Eagles will be playing for home-field advantage.

But the Cowboys got the help they needed early on Sunday to make the Christmas miracle they hoped for a possibility.

This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Cowboys get pre-game Christmas playoff help, now must win."