Dallas Cowboys playoff path the easiest in NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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Dallas Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott
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The Dallas Cowboys path to the NFC East title has least hurdles

It is truly mind boggling that a 2-7 Dallas Cowboys team is still smack in the middle of legitimate playoff consideration. The 1-2 division record makes it even more bizarre. Also, Dallas can still afford three more losses and win the division.

The Cowboys merely have to beat three poor divisional teams and one outside of the division. It’s a very specific path, but not as daunting as it seems. Let’s take a look.

RIGHT FOUR WINS GET DALLAS COWBOYS IN

CURRENT: DALLAS 2-7 (1-2 NFC EAST)

TARGET: DALLAS 6-10 (4-2 NFC EAST)

While absurd, Dallas can virtually lock up the division with the right four wins. The crucial step is winning all three remaining division games against losing teams. If that occurs only one other win is needed out of the four opponents below.

  • Minnesota (4-5)
  • Baltimore (6-3)
  • Cincinnati (2-6-1)
  • San Francisco (4-6)

With a 4-2 NFC East record, Dallas would hold the tiebreaker over any team with a matching record. The Eagles have a tie, so their six-win record would be better by way of one less loss. But as we will see, Philadelphia has a brutal road ahead.