What do the Dallas Cowboys need to clinch the NFC East?

After losing consecutive Games for the first time since 2021, the Dallas Cowboys have left 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 10-5 Cowboys do.

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

The Cowboys host the Detroit Lions in Week 17 on Saturday, before visiting 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?

Dallas are likely to need to win both of the games they have left to have any chance of leapfrogging Philadelphia. Indeed, if Mike McCarthy’s men fail to beat the Lions this weekend, an Eagles victory over the Cardinals will secure the division title for Nick Sirianni’s team with a game to spare.

If the Cowboys win their remaining games 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 win two out of two and the Eagles lose one and win one, or if the Cowboys win one and lose one and the Eagles lose two out of two, the teams will finish with identical win-loss records. In such a scenario, tiebreakers would be required.

The Cowboys lost to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.
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The Cowboys lost to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.Jasen VinloveUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

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 both head into Week 17 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 are tied at 7-3 against NFC teams so far this season, and both play 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.

See also:

  • Will Johnathan Hankins play for the Cowboys against the Lions?

Lions vs Cowboys: when, where, how to watch?

The NFL Week 17 clash between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys will be played today, Saturday 30 December 2023, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:15pm ET/5:15pm PT.

In the United States, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+ have the broadcast rights to the Game. You can also stream the action on fuboTV, which offers users a free trial.

Enjoy the Lions vs the Cowboys on fubo.

Lions vs Cowboys: live with AS USA

Another option you have is to follow AS USA’s live-text coverage of the Lions vs the Cowboys. Jen Bubel will be building up to the match-up from about an hour ahead of kick-off, before providing play-by-play commentary.

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