Breaking down the Cowboys’ 3 potential playoff scenarios in Week 18
By Jerry Trotta
1. Cowboys get the No. 5 seed, play the Buccaneers
The Cowboys currently hold the No. 5 seed, and it’d be pretty surprising if it didn’t stay that way through Week 18. In order for this to happen, the Eagles simply win against the Giants (at home), OR the Eagles and Cowboys lose.
In this scenario, Dallas would travel to Tampa Bay for a first-round matchup against the Buccaneers, who are locked into the No. 4 seed as the NFC South champs. This would mark a rematch of the first game of the year, when Tampa Bay beat the Cowboys 19-3 and injured Dak Prescott along the way.
There’s been widespread debate amongst Cowboys analyst in terms of who’d they rather Dallas play in Round 1: Tom Brady and a Bucs team that can’t get out of its own way, or a surging Panthers squad whose physical running game could potentially cause headaches for Dan Quinn’s out-of-form defense.
In a perfect world, you don’t play the greatest quarterback of all-time on the road on Wild Card Weekend, but if there was ever a time to get Brady, it’s now. Their offensive line is ravaged by injuries, the defense isn’t what it once was, and Todd Bowles is a serious decline at head coach relative to Bruce Arians. The offense, meanwhile, has scored more than 20 points just six times this season.
The Cowboys netting the No. 1 seed would be the best-case scenario, but the path to a Super Bowl isn’t going to be easy regardless and beating the GOAT on the road in the first round would be quite the confidence-builder.
