Dallas Cowboys Postseason Scenarios: What Needs to Happen in Week 17?

The Dallas Cowboys have just one way to make the NFL playoffs this season, and that's simply to beat the New York Giants on Sunday night. There's nothing else that can happen, no other scenario, where the Cowboys can snag a wild-card spot, so it's win-and-in in the NFC East this week.

While it seems simple at first glance—defeat the Giants, make the playoffs—it's far more complicated than that. The NFC East as a division has been most unpredictable this year, and it's because all four teams have been inconsistent, not that they've all been dominant.

The Giants and Cowboys are both 8-7, but their seasons have been very different. The Giants suffered a glut of injuries, primarily on defense, heading into the regular season but still managed to win six of their first eight games.

The Cowboys, in contrast, have seen their injuries spread out around the year, and the team went 4-4 in the first half the season.

In the second half, things changed for both teams. The Giants have lost all but two of their most recent seven games, while Dallas embarked on a four-game winning streak in Weeks 9-14, only to lose three of their last four, including a Week 15 20-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that saw the Cowboys shut out until the game's final seconds.

Statistically, the advantage in this week's game goes to the Cowboys, who boast a better overall offense and defense—based on yards gained and allowed—than the Giants.

However, the Cowboys are giving up nearly 240 passing yards in the game, and the Giants have the fourth-best passing offense in the league, putting up an average of 293.5 yards in the air per week.

Though Dallas has a top-10 run defense, the Giants rank dead last in rushing yards per game, at just 88.1, and won't be looking to win this week's game on the ground regardless of opponent.

Further swinging the pendulum in the Giants' favor is that they already have beaten the Cowboys once, and recently. They bested the team in Dallas in Week 14 by three points, the game ending at 37-34.

This week, they'll be in New York and won't be so generous in giving up that many points to the Cowboys with the division and the playoffs on the line.

For Dallas to win this game, they'll have to limit their mistakes, control the clock in the running game and look significantly stronger in the secondary. It's going to be very tough, but not impossible, especially between two consistently inconsistent teams like the Giants and Cowboys.