Cowboys' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 16

The Dallas Cowboys enter the weekend with less than a one-percent chance of making the playoffs.

According to The New York Times NFL Playoff simulator, the Cowboys aren't eliminated just yet and actually have a slim path to the playoffs.

So you're telling us there's a chance.

That path obviously includes winning out. The Cowboys have won three of the last four games with Cooper Rush at quarterback. So there's some positive momentum going for them.

The bad news is that the schedule isn't easy. They get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home before traveling to an Eagles team that beat them 34-6 earlier this year. Then they finish the season with the Commanders.

It's a long shot, but there's a chance that final game against Washington has a wildcard spot on the line. Here are three results they need to help them get there.

Eagles over Commanders

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A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts

Cowboys fans aren't accustomed to pulling for either the Eagles or the Commanders. Unfortunately, they'll have to be saying Fly Eagles Fly this week because they really need Washington to lose out the rest of the season.

The Eagles are uncatchable at this point. The 12-2 Birds are looking to not just win the NFC East, but are knotted up with the Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Commanders currently have the final wildcard spot. Another win for them and the Cowboys won't be able to catch them and their playoff odds officially click over to zero.

There is hope for Dallas here. The Commanders have won their last two games, but they didn't really look impressive against a bad Saints team and the Eagles are one of the best teams in the league.

After that, it's a Sunday night football matchup against a Falcons team that is trying to make the playoffs and just switched to Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback.

There isn't a gimme game for the Commanders to lean on. They are going to have to earn a berth and that added pressure give Dallas some optimism.

Vikings over Seahawks

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Camryn Bynum

Unfortunately, the Cowboys path to the playoffs isn't as simple as the Commanders losing out and the Cowboys winning out to get in. There are other contenders for the final wildcard spot to consider.

The Seahawks are in the best position to spoil the party now.

At 8-6, they are just one game behind the Commanders, one game ahead of the Falcons and Cardinals and two games ahead of the Cowboys. They'll need to lose at least two of their last three just for Dallas to tie them with a 9-8 record in Week 18.

If they beat the Vikings on Sunday they aren't going to lose two out of the last three. The Seahawks have very winnable games in Week 17 (at Chicago) and Week 18 (at Rams).

The Vikings have been one of the best teams in the NFC all season. Brian Flores' defense has made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks and Geno Smith struggled before leaving last week's game with a knee injury.

Smith appears to be on track to return on Sunday, but it's still going to be a tough win for the Seahawks to get.

Giants over Falcons

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Tim Boyle

Again, it's not fun to pull for other NFC East teams, but this one would be huge for creating the improbable scenario where the Cowboys get in. The Falcons have to lose two of their next three for Dallas to force a tie.

Considering that their final three games are against the Giants, Panthers and Commanders, that's asking for a decent Falcons team to lose to one of the worst teams in the league over the next three weeks.

The Giants are the least likely to pull it off. They are battling with the Raiders for the first pick in the draft.

However, it's not out of the realm of possibility. The Falcons are in the midst of a free fall that has seen them lose four out of their last five games and the lone win was an ugly outing against the Raiders last week.

On the other hand, the Giants haven't won since Week 5. They are coming off a 35-14 loss to the Ravens and could be starting Tim Boyle with Drew Lock dealing with a heel injury and Tommy DeVito in concussion protocol.

Boyle is 0-5 and threw just one touchdown to 13 interceptions as a collegiate quarterback. That's not really the guy you want to hang your playoff hopes on.