Where the Cowboys stand in the NFC playoff picture after disappointing Eagles’ loss

We talked all week about how the Dallas Cowboys could grab the upper hand in the NFC East with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles, while at the same time greatly improving their position for top seed in the NFC. And for a brief moment of time toward the end of the game it looked like all that might come true. Instead, the Cowboys were very ‘un-clutch’ and lost a mind-numbing game to the Eagles, 28-23.

Instead of being able to take over the NFC East with a win over the New York Giants next week, the Cowboys will be fighting to get back in the game for NFC playoff positioning and wild card ranking. They have to hope that the Eagles really stumble through the worst part of their schedule once they return from their bye.

As of now, the Cowboys are the sixth-seed wild card.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)
2. Detroit Lions (6-2)
3. San Francisco 49ers (5-3, NFC West division tiebreaker*)
4. New Orleans Saints (5-4)
5. Seattle Seahawks (5-3, NFC West division tiebreaker*, 4-1 NFC)
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-3, 2-3 NFC)
7. Minnesota Vikings (5-4)
8. Washington Commanders (4-5, win over ATL)
9. Atlanta Falcons (4-5, loss to WAS)

* The 49ers own the NFC West tiebreaker thanks to their division record. San Francisco is 2-0 in the NFC West and Seattle is 1-1.

Dallas is running into an easier section of their schedule and hope to stack up some wins over the Giants, Panthers and Commanders coming up. But after losing their third game, and with a poor NFC record, they really can’t afford to slip up any more because their schedule toward the end of the year becomes much tougher.