Cowboys hit with bucket of cold water after huge win over Eagles
The Dallas Cowboys head into Week 15 boasting their biggest win of the season after beating the Philadelphia Eagles on national television. Even better for them – it was a dominant, wire-to-wire victory that showed the NFL Dak Prescott and co. are for real.As it currently stands, Dallas holds the NFC's No. 2 seed after […]
The Dallas Cowboys head into Week 15 boasting their biggest win of the season after beating the Philadelphia Eagles on national television. Even better for them – it was a dominant, wire-to-wire victory that showed the NFL Dak Prescott and co. are for real.
As it currently stands, Dallas holds the NFC's No. 2 seed after their big win. That means a home playoff game, at minimum. What makes it even better for the 'Boys is the fact they knocked the Eagles from their No. 1 seeded perch, where the San Francisco 49ers now reside.
Either way, the Cowboys have put themselves in a very nice spot heading into these final four weeks, which will undoubtedly play a massive role in deciding who gets a first-round bye in the playoffs.
But, unfortunately for the Cowboys, things may not be as rosy as they seem. And they could lose their shine as early as this week.
Eagles still big favorites to win NFC East and have better chances to land No. 1 seed despite Cowboys' win
Even though the Cowboys lead the division, they're still not favored to win the NFC East. The Eagles are and they're favored by a much wider margin.
Right now, the Cowboys have a 28% chance to win the division and the Eagles have a robust 72% chance, per the New York Times' playoff machine. The Eagles also have much better odds to win earn the NFC's top seed at 23%, compared to the Cowboys' 6% chance.
It's a frustrating reality, but it makes sense considering the opponents left on both teams' schedules.
Cowboys have a tough road ahead while Eagles have an easy path to playoffs
The Cowboys have the 10th-hardest remaining strength of schedule that features matchups against the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and Detroit Lions – all in that order and all three coming up over these next few weeks. They conclude the year against the Washington Commanders and even then, divisional games shouldn't be underestimated in the NFL.
Buffalo and Miami are both road contests, which only makes things harder. The key with those matchups -outside of the fact Dallas needs to win both in order to stay on top of things- is the Eagles have beaten both squads, already. Therefore, they hold a lot more weight than your typical interconference games. If the Eagles and Cowboys get to the common opponents tiebreaker, then those Philly wins (and whatever happens with the Cowboys) will certainly play a major role in how the postseason shapes up.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have the NFL's easiest schedule moving forward. Their schedule features a road game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, then two straight home games against the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals before finishing the regular season with a rematch against the Giants in MetLife Stadium.
It's quite the contrast between opponents and it's exactly why the Eagles remain the heavy favorites over the Cowboys. But, if Dallas can finish with a 3-1 record, it'll still be an impressive close to what has been a very good season, overall. Even if that still means the 'Boys will have to go on the road and play a Wild Card game.
If there is one win for the Cowboys, it certainly comes in the form of the fact that they have better odds to win the Super Bowl than the Eagles do. The Cowboys have a 10% chance, per NYT, while the Eagles have a 7% chance. That's because both teams would play each in Dallas in the Wild Card round if the playoffs started today. Meaning, the Cowboys are currently viewed as the better team.
But, that still doesn't erase the fact that they have to go out and beat three teams with a combined record of 25-13 (.658) record to end December. It's a frustrating reality, but that's just how life goes in the NFL.
Either way, these last few weeks are going to be interesting, win or lose. Because, right now, no one has any idea what the NFL will look like when playoff football begins in January.
