Cowboys playoff picture: What win over Eagles means for Dallas’ NFC Wild Card chances

Teddy Ricketson

Cowboys playoff picture: What win over Eagles means for Dallas’ NFC Wild Card chances image

The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles played an instant classic that came down to the wire in Week 12. It was a tale of two halves as the first half was all Eagles, and the second was all Cowboys. 

Dallas found itself down 21-0 in the second quarter and it looked like the Cowboys were headed for an embarrassing loss to Philadelphia. But Dak Prescott got the Cowboys on the board with a late touchdown in the second quarter. 

In the second half, the Dallas defense stepped up, pitching a shutout against Philadelphia. The Eagles, who once led 21-0, ended up losing 24-21 as Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey walked them off with a 42-yard field goal. After allowing 21 straight points, Dallas scored 24 unanswered points to pick up the huge victory. 

Here is a look at how the win over the Eagles impacts the Cowboys' playoff chances.

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NFC playoff picture

PositionTeamRecord
1Los Angeles Rams8-2
2Philadelphia Eagles8-3
3Chicago Bears8-3
4Tampa Bay Buccaneers6-4
5Seattle Seahawks8-3
6Green Bay Packers7-3-1
7San Francisco 49ers7-4
8Detroit Lions7-4
9Carolina Panthers6-5
10Dallas Cowboys5-5-1
11Atlanta Falcons4-7
12Minnesota Vikings4-7
13Arizona Cardinals3-8
14Washington Commanders3-8
15New Orleans Saints2-9
16New York Giants2-10

The Cowboys entered Week 12 sitting in 10th place in the NFC playoff picture. Given the standings, with a win or a loss, Dallas would have remained in 10th place. The win does help them close the gap on the teams ahead of them in the hunt. 

With the win, Dallas now trails the San Francisco 49ers by just two games for the final Wild Card spot. The Niners play the Carolina Panthers (who also are ahead of Dallas) for Week 12's "Monday Night Football" matchup. 

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Cowboys remaining schedule

WeekOpponent
13vs. Chiefs (Thanksgiving)
14at Lions (TNF)
15vs. Vikings (SNF)
16vs. Chargers
17at Commanders
18at Giants

Dallas will host Kansas City for the second game of a three-game Thanksgiving slate. The Chiefs are coming off a big overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts.

MORE: Why Chiefs' comeback win over Colts is bad news for rest of AFC  

If the Cowboys can sustain the momentum from the big comeback win over the Eagles and notch another win at home, they would then have a week before taking on the Detroit Lions for Week 14's "Thursday Night Football." 

The hope for Dallas is that it can get through Week 16 still alive in the playoff hunt. The Cowboys would have two huge road games against the Washington Commanders (currently 3-8) and the New York Giants (currently 2-10) and just need to finish as a top seven team in the conference to make the playoff field. 

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