The Dallas Cowboys return to action in Week 8 coming off their bye. Sitting out didn’t hurt the team’s position within the conference; Dallas didn’t move from the 10th spot with their 3-3 record even after last week’s games. With the entire NFC playing this week, how can potential results affect the Cowboys’ playoff chances?
Last week brought some shakeup as Detroit moved ahead of Minnesota in the NFC North and the Bears climbed into a wild card spot, putting all four North teams into the tournament based on current standings. Seattle’s win over Atlanta, coupled with the 49ers’ loss to the Chiefs, moved the Seahawks back into the top spot in the NFC West.
Here are the NFC playoff standings going into Week 8:
Detroit Lions (5-1 overall, 5-1 vs NFC)
Washington Commanders (5-2 overall, 3-1 vs NFC)
Seattle Seahawks (4-3 overall, 1-3 vs NFC)
Atlanta Falcons (4-3 overall, 4-1 vs NFC)
Minnesota Vikings (5-1 overall, 3-1 vs NFC)
Green Bay Packers (5-2 overall, 2-2 vs NFC)
Chicago Bears (4-2 overall, 2-0 vs NFC)
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Philadelphia Eagles (4-2 overall, 3-2 vs NFC)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3 overall, 4-1 vs NFC)
Dallas Cowboys (3-3 overall, 1-2 vs NFC)
Arizona Cardinals (3-4 overall, 2-3 vs NFC)
San Francisco 49ers (3-4 overall, 1-3 vs NFC)
While beating the 49ers this week is obviously most critical to the Cowboys, the rest of the NFC’s schedule will impact them as well. Let’s run through those games and see which way we want things to swing for Dallas.
Bears over Commanders
Bengals over Eagles
Two no-brainers here as the Cowboys need to catch up to their division rivals. While Washington’s win would help the Bears in the wild card race, Dallas’ best path to the playoffs remains winning the NFC East. They still have all of their semiannual meetings with the Commanders and Eagles on the schedule, so that feels more tangible than the Cowboys worming their way into the NFC North’s stranglehold on the conference.
Falcons over Buccaneers
This is already the second game between Atlanta and Tampa Bay; the Falcons won the first matchup two weeks ago. Given the Bucs’ injuries, Atlanta may now be the favorites in their division. That means the Cowboys need whoever isn’t winning the NFC South to start taking some losses for any potential wild card implications. But this one is almost a push.
Rams over Vikings
Even with their first loss of 2024, Minnesota still looked like the second-best team in the NFC. Catching them is unlikely, but every little bit helps. At 2-4 and with a roster in shambles, Los Angeles sounds like they’re about to enter fire sale mode. Still, playing at home on a Thursday night, they could pull off an upset.
Titans over Lions
Jaguars over Packers
Bills over Seahawks
Dolphins over Cardinals
While we’re still focused on Dallas trying to win its division, these AFC-NFC games offer easy rooting decisions. Nothing about the NFC teams winning these helps the Cowboys
Giants over Steelers
Chargers over Saints
Broncos over Panthers
These last few are all about hurting New York’s position in the 2025 Draft. We never want nice things for our NFC East rivals, and especially when what the Giants really need is a new quarterback. After seeing the way Jayden Daniels has elevated the Commanders, the last thing Dallas wants is the Giants also becoming a contender again.
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