Cowboys 1 of 5 That Can Clinch NFL Playoffs; 'What Else Could You Ask For?' - McCarthy
FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy this week said in a media briefing here inside The Star, “We’re fighting for a division title Sunday night. What else could you ask for? This is what it’s all about.”
It can be that simple.
Or it can be much more complex.
Here's the simple part: As we approach the end of the 2021 NFL season, Dallas is one five teams with a chance to clinch a postseason berth in this Week 16.
And it's good company: With wins this weekend, the Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chiefs and Rams can (we think!) do the same.
In addition to a playoff spot locked up, Dallas and Tampa Bay would also claim their division titles.
Each of these teams are 10-4 and are obviously searching for their 11th win of the season, which in the NFC is presently the standard-bearing number, as Green Bay enters the weekend with the coveted No. 1 seed and a 11-3 mark. (The Packers have already captured their division crown.)
Also in the NFC, the Cowboys and the Bucs hold three-game leads in their respective divisions, while the Cardinals and the Rams are tied atop the NFC West.
But having said all of that, Dallas (bolstered by its five Pro Bowlers) doesn't need to beat Washington at home on Sunday night to win the NFC East. That can happen earlier in the day, while the Cowboys are watching TV, if the Giants beat the Eagles.
The Cowboys do have control of their path here, and when it comes to complicated tiebreakers, have some control as well. Tampa Bay - which on paper has the easiest odds to clinch this weekend with a matchup against the 5-9 Panthers - is a team Dallas (presently the No. 2 seed in the NFC) has lost to, so the head-to-head thing is bad news there. But Arizona - which will play Indianapolis this weekend - has to play at Dallas in Week 17.
So the Cowboys don't have to sit and wait. They can be among the first teams to clinch in Week 16 ... and in the parity-mad NFL, they are on the very short list of teams that can.
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