So the Cowboys are now officially in the playoffs once again after beating the Bucs on Sunday to win the NFC East title.
What that means for sure is that Dallas will host a playoff game at AT&T Stadium on the Jan. 5-6 weekend as the No. 4 seed in the NFC.
The Cowboys don't know exactly who they will face but after Sunday's games around the NFL, it will be either Seattle or Minnesota coming to Arlington.
The Seahawks clinched a Wild Card spot Sunday night by beating Kansas City to improve to 9-6. That victory didn't knock Philadelphia out of the playoffs, but eliminated them from being the fifth seed. What that also means is that the Cowboys won't face the Eagles in the first round of the postseason.
The most likely playoff opponent for Dallas is the Seahawks, who will lock up the fifth spot if they can beat Arizona at home next week. Or, if the Vikings (8-6-1) lose to the Bears, Seattle would also claim the fifth spot. Even if the Seahawks lose to Arizona and Philly beats Washington to pull even at 9-7, Seattle would have the tiebreaker edge because of a better conference record.
The only way Seattle doesn't come to Arlington to face the Cowboys is if the Seahawks lose to the Cardinals and the Vikings beat the Bears. That would put Minnesota at 9-6-1, a half-game ahead of the Seahawks, who would fall to 9-7 in that scenario.
Ahead of the Cowboys, the Saints have locked up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Rams need to win next Sunday vs. San Francisco to secure a bye and the No. 2 seed. If not, the Bears could steal the spot if Chicago wins against the Vikings.
The NFL will announce dates and times of all first-round playoff games following the completion of Week 17.
Current NFC Playoff Picture:
1 – New Orleans (13-2)
2 – LA Rams (12-3)
3 – Chicago (11-4)
4 – Dallas (9-6)
5 – Seattle (9-6)
6 – Minnesota (8-6-1)
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Philadelphia (8-7)
