The Arizona Cardinals’ defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday has given the Dallas Cowboys a golden chance to win the division in Week 18.
A wild 2023 season got even wilder in Week 17. The ref drama during the Dallas Cowboys’ win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday reinforced that anything can happen in a given game, but no one quite expected what was coming on Sunday.
The hated Philadelphia Eagles had a cupcake matchup with the struggling Arizona Cardinals, and took a 21-6 lead into halftime. However, Nick Sirianni’s squad then fell into an utter collapse, and which allowed former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to exact some revenge with a stunning 35-31 victory in the final seconds.
The Cardinals didn’t do the Cowboys any favors earlier in the year when they handed Dallas a loss, but now they’ve made up for that with the win over Philly.
Cowboys now the No. 2 seed. If they win vs. Washington they would have opportunity to play two playoff games at AT&T Stadium, where they are 8-0.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) December 31, 2023
After the Eagles’ loss and Cowboys’ victory in Week 17, Dallas now can capture the NFC East division title with a W against the Washington Commanders in the regular-season finale. Even better, this squad can lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win as well, which would result in the ‘Boys having two playoff games at home, assuming they don’t lose prior to the conference championship round.
Arizona’s upset has set the stage for a chaotic final week in the NFC East. It’s great for the Cowboys to be in control of their own destiny, however, heading into the last game before the postseason.
The current standings following Sunday early slate see Dallas in the No. 2 spot, which would set them up to face the 6-seed on Wild Card Weekend if it holds. That team is the 8-7 Seattle Seahawks right now, though they’re facing the Pittsburgh Steelers during Week 17’s late-afternoon window.
A win would open the door for the Seahawks (who’d then be 9-7) or Los Angeles Rams (who are also 9-7) to square off against Dallas. Seattle’s injury woes and inconsistent play makes them a salivating matchup, while the Rams are hot at the right time with wins in six of their last seven outings.
Regardless, Mike McCarthy has to keep his group focused on taking care of business versus Washington first before getting too far down the rabbit hole of first round opponents.
