Can Cowboys still win NFC East? Eagles leave door wide open

Do the Dallas Cowboys still have a chance to win the NFC East? The Eagles are leaving the door ready to be kicked in for the division crown. 

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like a stretch to think that the Dallas Cowboys had any chance to win the NFC East. Sure, they’d locked in a playoff spot, but with the Philadelphia Eagles sitting firmly atop the division and the conference as a whole, they would need a lot of help from their bitter rivals to climb out of the No. 5 seed.

As it turns out, though, the help has kept coming.

Admittedly, Dallas did themselves a favor in Week 16 by getting revenge over Philadelphia with a thrilling 40-34 win over the Eagles after losing to them earlier in the season with Cooper Rush starting at quarterback. But in Week 17, Philly gave America’s Team another gift in the spirit of the holiday season as Gardner Minshew — starting for injured Jalen Hurts — led the team to a loss to the Saints.

Coupled with the Cowboys‘ win on Thursday Night Football against the Titans, Dallas now had a real chance to take the division still.

Cowboys playoff scenarios: Eagles leave door open for Dallas to win NFC East

On the heels of the Eagles loss to New Orleans, the path to winning the division — and perhaps to a bye in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs — for the Cowboys is simple.

If Dallas can go on the road and beat the Commanders in Week 18 while the Eagles lose to the Giants as well, that will give the two rivals identical 13-4 records on the season. As such, the ‘Boys  would have the tiebreaker for divisional record and would then take the NFC East crown.

Beating the Commanders, assuming Dak Prescott is healthy and plays, should be a doable task for Dallas. The bigger question is if the Giants, who just clinched a playoff spot with their own Week 17 win, can hang with Philadelphia. Perhaps the biggest factor there is if Hurts is able to play in the regular-season finale or if it’ll be Minshew again — this in addition to whether or not New York sits any of their starters after clinching a postseason berth.

But all told, the door is open for the Cowboys to win the NFC East heading into the final game of the regular season. If you’d have said that to the team or any fan a few weeks ago, they’d 100% have taken it.