The Dallas Cowboys have surprisingly moved up to the third seed in the NFC. They will now host the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs.
The Cowboys needed an unlikely series of events to improve their playoff seeding today. But a shocking home loss by the Arizona Cardinals to the Seattle Seahawks, plus the visiting 49ers defeating the Los Angeles Rams, has allowed Dallas to move up from fourth to third.
Had Tampa Bay lost to Carolina as well, Dallas would have moved up to second and faced the Eagles next week. But the Bucs handled their business against the Panthers and will now host Philadelphia in the first round.
Dallas and Los Angeles both finish the season 12-5 overall. But with no head-to-head tiebreaker between them, the Cowboys' superior record (10-2 vs 8-4) against NFC opponents this year gives them the edge and the third seed.
Had the Cardinals won their game against Seattle, Arizona would've won the NFC West and then been the third seed thanks to their tiebreaking victory over Dallas in Week 17.
Next week's games will be:
- #7 Eagles @ #2 Buccaneers
- #6 49ers @ #3 Cowboys
- #5 Cardinals @ #4 Rams
We're still waiting for confirmation on the days and times for these Wild Card Round games.
