The Dallas Cowboys are headed back to the big dance. And they still have three weeks to improve their place in line.
Dallas (10-4) clinched its first playoff berth in three years Thursday, thanks to the Tennessee Titans' 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys' 8-1 conference record ensured that they won't fall below the seventh seed. Of course, they're in prime position to be more than a wild card.
Holding a three-game lead in the NFC East, the Cowboys can clinch a division title in Week 16 through a multitude of ways, primarily via a win over the Washington Football Team or a Philadelphia Eagles loss to the New York Giants. Dallas last won the NFC East, and made the playoffs, in 2018 when it lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. A 6-1 start to the 2021 season under second-year coach Mike McCarthy put the Cowboys on the fast track to end those mini droughts and legitimized preseason expectations.
With offensive and defensive units ranked in the top 10 in DVOA, the Cowboys might finally be primed for a deep postseason run. They are definitely due. Dallas has not advanced past the Divisional Round since the 1995 campaign, which is also when it last won the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys are currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC and just a game behind the Green Bay Packers. Dallas and Green Bay are the only teams in the NFL to earn playoff bids thus far.
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