Cowboys' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 9

Even though it has felt like the sky is falling for the Dallas Cowboys, there is still a path for them to make the playoffs in the NFC.

They have made things difficult on themselves by stacking up bad losses, but a 3-4 record is far from being out of contention with 10 games left to play. The sense of urgency is ratcheting up for the franchise if they want to avoid starting the offseason early.

The path for Dallas starts with winning on Sunday against an Atlanta Falcons team that appears to have found their stride. They NFC South leaders have won four of their last five games, with the offense averaging 29.8 points and 434 yards per game since Week 5.

That does present a difficult challenge for a Cowboys team that has allowed more than 450 yards and 77 total points in their last two games. They will also be playing without Micah Parsons for the fourth straight game due to an ankle injury.

Looking at the standings in the NFC entering Week 9, here are the other games that Cowboys fans should keep an eye on if they hope to see this team in the postseason.

Jaguars Over Eagles

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 27: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars enters the field prior to a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on October 27, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

This makes for an easy game to have a rooting interest if you're a Cowboys fan. They were going to hope their NFC East rival lost anyway, but a defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars would significantly benefit Dallas.

The Jaguars have been a frustrating team to watch because there are games when they look like they are starting to piece things together only for the bottom to drop out. They had a chance to beat the Green Bay Packers last week after Jordan Love left the game with an injury, but Malik Willis completed a 51-yard pass on the final possession to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired.

As things currently stand, the Philadelphia Eagles own the final playoff spot in the NFC with a 5-2 record.

A Cowboys win and Eagles loss would leave Dallas one game behind its division rival in the overall standings. Those two teams will play their first game of the season on Nov. 10 at AT&T Stadium.

Bears over Cardinals

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LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 27: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after his team's rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on October 27, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

One of the big problems with the Cowboys slow start is they have buried themselves deep already that they are going to need so many things to go right that can help them.

The result of Sunday's showdown between the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium could be argued either way if you are a Dallas fan. Both teams have four wins and are ahead of the Cowboys in the standings, so either result would benefit them.

However, when you start breaking down all of the different tiebreakers, the Bears beating the Cardinals would be good news for Dallas.

A Chicago win would drop Arizona to 4-5, which is guaranteed to knock the Cardinals out of first place in the NFC West because the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) are on a bye. There is another game involving NFC West teams this week that we will get to in a moment.

The Cowboys already lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with the San Francisco 49ers by virtue of their loss in Week 8, so a scenario that bumps the Niners up to a division champion rather than fighting for a wild card spot is good news for Jerry Jones.

Seahawks over Rams

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 27: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up before playing the Buffalo Bills at Lumen Field on October 27, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

It seems contradictory to root for the Seattle Seahawks (4-4) to beat the Los Angeles Rams (3-4) to benefit the Cowboys after making the case for the 49ers to win the NFC West.

Based on the standings, though, the long-term benefit for Dallas is a Seattle victory in Week 9.

The 49ers already hold a head-to-head win over the Seahawks and own a better conference record than their division rivals, so they are already set up to finish ahead of them in any potential tiebreaker.

Even though the Rams and Cowboys have identical records going into Week 9, Los Angeles owns the tiebreaker in the standings based on conference record. A Cowboys win and Rams loss would give them an edge in both the overall standings and conference record tiebreaker.

The Cowboys would also have the same number of losses as the Seahawks. Seattle will be going to San Francisco in Week 11 having lost six straight games to the 49ers since 2022, including the playoffs.

If that trend holds for the Seahawks, the Cowboys could potentially leapfrog them in the standings with wins in each of their next two games and control their destiny in the NFC wild card race.