Despite the disappointing loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys still clinched a playoff berth thanks to other game results around the league. Because of the standings after the Seattle Seahawks lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday and the New York Giants defeated the Washington Commanders Sunday night, the Cowboys are ensured a wild card spot in the postseason. This is the first time since 2006 – 2007 that the Cowboys have qualified for postseason play in back-to-back seasons.
Their exact seeding, however, is still yet to be determined. Since the Cowboys defeated the Giants twice, they cannot lose their wild card spot due to the tie breakers considered when determining playoff qualification. In order for Dallas to be locked in as a five seed next week, they would have to beat the Eagles on Saturday, and the Giants would have to beat the Vikings that day.
The Cowboys still have a slim chance of winning the NFC East title, but that scenario is highly unlikely. It would require both for Dallas to win all of their remaining games and for Philadelphia to lose all of their remaining games.
McCarthy's Outlook
Before the outcome of tonight's Giants – Commanders matchup had even been determined, Mike McCarthy shared his philosophy on seeding with reporters. During his postgame press conference, the Cowboys head coach was asked whether the impact of the loss the to the Jaguars was discouraging.
McCarthy responded, “I've been at this long enough to know that at the end of seventeen games, it sorts itself out. I've been the one seed and been knocked on my a** and won it from the fifth seed… We've just gotta keep our head down and keep working. We'll react properly to this. It's a very accountable locker room.”
McCarthy spoke from personal experience as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, although the year they won Super Bowl XLV, they had entered the NFC playoffs as the sixth seed, not the fifth. Regardless, the crux of his statement remains the same. The first order of business is to secure a spot in the playoffs, which the Cowboys have done. After that, seeding determines nothing except who plays in the Wild Card round and who gets home field advantage. Dallas will still face only one opponent at a time, and each playoff game is anybody's game to win.
