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FRISCO, Texas — It doesn't matter who your favorite fictional villain might be, Lex Luthor or another, but there's a chance for the Dallas Cowboys to have some fun as the season nears its end in becoming the one that tops that list for you in 2024, in very nonfiction fashion.
I'll keep this week's edition of Science Lab simple and to the point:
Spoil the hell out of everybody else's party.
Wreck it, even.
Like Ralph.
Things have turned a bit toward the positive for the first time in an otherwise gutting season for the Cowboys, but they've managed to remain locked in, bought in and dedicated to the cause of going out on their shield and not cowered in a corner or mentally checked out looking for boat shoes.
No one is refusing to enter the game (hi San Francisco) and every available body has been called upon to help win three of the last four games, with the final three all being against playoff-bound teams.
And only one of them have clinched a berth at the moment, the Philadelphia Eagles (12-2), but there's still a way to spit in their Cheerios this Christmas. Should the Cowboys march into the City of Brotherly Whatever and land an upset, it wouldn't simply shock the world, it would deliver what could ultimately be a death blow to their hopes of getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC over the Detroit Lions (12-2) or the Minnesota Vikings (12-2).
As it stands, the Eagles can't only afford to not lose, but especially if that loss comes within the conference, where the Lions own that edge as the Vikings currently own their tiebreaker with the Eagles due to strength of overall schedule.
So not only will the Eagles want to sweep the Cowboys and own bragging rights for doing so, but they literally have to have the win, and that means they'll play with a ton of pressure at their backs.
The Cowboys, however, can play fast and loose.
The latter attitude is also true of the upcoming matchup against the Buccaneers, because Tampa Bay will see their chances of making the playoffs cut in half — from more than 80 percent to just over 40 percent — if they are upset by the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Week 16, assuming the Atlanta Falcons (8-6) and newly-named starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. defeat the New York Giants this weekend.
Keep in mind, the NFC South is still very much up for grabs and the Falcons have one claw still dug into it at the moment. And, needless to say, the Bucs' fight in Dallas will also help determine where they're seeded and their level of competition should they still make it to the postseason.
They, too, have to have the win against the Cowboys.
Finally, to finish out the season, will come the final battle of this campaign against the Washington Commanders (9-5), a team that suffered a rollercoaster of an upset at the hands of the Cowboys in the nation's capital a few weeks ago — the game that propelled Dallas to a 3-1 record thereafter.
If the Commanders are swept by their bitter rival in Arlington, it would mark another conference loss and effectively guarantee they won't take the NFC East crown (also contingent upon what happens with the Eagles over their final regular season contests).
Yes, the Cowboys have a ton of power to determine the winner of not only the division, but of the conference, and plenty in-between.
Not that they needed to dig deep to find anything to play for, given the extreme effort they've shown to this point to rage against that dying light, but this can only help fuel them further to earn four consecutive upset victories to end a season they'd otherwise love to forget.
Crash the party. All the parties.
Be the bad guy.
It's Wario time.
