Dallas Cowboys jump to No. 2 NFC playoff seed after losses by Arizona and Tampa Bay
The Dallas Cowboys have yet to clinch a playoff spot, let alone the NFC East title.
But those things are a simple matter of formality now, following Sunday’s 21-6 victory against the New York Giants.
It was their third straight win and they are now tied with the league’s second-best record at 10-4. And things got even better as the day went along. The Cowboys moved up the NFC ladder thanks to losses by the Arizona Cardinals and then Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If the playoffs started today, the Cowboys would hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC behind the Green Bay Packers (11-3).
The NFC East-leading Cowboys are in a three-way tie with the Buccaneers and the Cardinals, who top the NFC South and the NFC West, respectively.
But the Cowboys, who started the day as the fourth seed, vaulted all the way up to the second seed because of a superior conference record in a three-way tie scenario.
Even though Cowboys lost to the Buccaneers head-to-head in the season opener, that game doesn’t not matter in the process.
The Cowboys are 8-1 in the conference, thanks largely to an undefeated record in the NFC East and three losses to AFC West opponents. The Buccaneers and Cardinals are both 6-4 in the NFC.
The Cowboys have three games left, starting Sunday against the Washington Football Team. A win would clinch the division title, but they have their sights set even higher.
“We know we’ll make the playoffs,” defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said. ”Y’all know that too. But at the end of the day it’s all about that No. 1 seed and keep driving to be the best.”
Said quarterback Dak Prescott: “We got to focus on ourselves, focus on, as I said, peaking at the right time, and continuing to get better. Yeah, and the rest of the stuff will take care of itself. We can’t sit there and watch the ticker and try to figure out what’s happening around the league.
“We just got to make sure we’re handling our business and things will unfold. If they do in the benefit of us, we’ll take it, if not, we’ll take what we have and go control the rest.”
If benefited the Cowboys on Sunday.
Now, they have to control the rest.
