Just about everything went the Dallas Cowboys' way this past weekend. The weekend started with the Cowboys defeating the Detroit Lions 20-19. The Lions looked to complete a two-point conversion that would've given them a 21-20 lead with less than 30 seconds left, but a controversial illegal touching penalty on Taylor Decker took back the play, even though Decker reported as eligible. The Lions went for two again and were unable to convert, sealing a Dallas win.

After their win, the Cowboys sat back and watched the Arizona Cardinals come back and upset the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals victory moved the Cowboys back up from the wildcard to the No. 2 seed, since they have tiebreakers over the Eagles and Lions.

They are just a Week 18 win over the Washington Commanders from winning the NFC East. If they don't win, they can also clinch the division with an Eagles loss. Here are three reasons Dallas should be expected to pull this off and win their division:

1. All the Cowboys have to do is beat Washington

The main reason the Cowboys will clinch the NFC East is they have one of the most favorable Week 18 matchups versus Washington. Dallas previously beat the Commanders 45-10 on Thanksgiving, which was one of their most dominant weeks of the season. In that game, the Cowboys took a 20-10 halftime lead before blowing the game out of reach in the fourth quarter when they scored four different times and held the Commanders without a score.

Washington has yet to announce if Jacoby Brissett or Sam Howell will be the starter, but either way Dallas should have no problem taking care of business. Even when Howell has played well, it's often not enough for his team to win games.

2. Even if they don't, there's no guarantee that Eagles defeat the Giants

In a surprise situation where the Cowboys don't handle Washington, they can always rely on the Giants to upset the Eagles. Hoping for the Eagles to lose definitely isn't the safer option, but is far from off the table if Dallas can't manage a win. For one, the Eagles are barely beating anyone right now, having lost four of their last five games. The one team they did beat was the Giants, but the Eagles almost let the Giants come back in a 33-25 win.

Meanwhile, the Giants have been playing their opponents tough. They recently defeated the Green Bay Packers, and almost came back against the Los Angeles Rams. The Giants also may have a better chance in this game because Tyrod Taylor is expected to start. Taylor didn't come in until midway through their last game, when New York benched Philadelphia. With how Philadelphia's played, no team can be counted out against them.

3. The Cowboys will be motivated to host a playoff game

Aside from the Cowboys' winnable matchup, Dallas knows how important it is from them to win the division so they are guaranteed the opportunity to host at least one playoff game. With a division win and the No. 2 seed, the Cowboys would host a wildcard game and then a divisional round game if they advance.

Given the Cowboys struggles on the road, hosting playoff games will give Dallas the best shot at advancing in the playoff and to a potential Super Bowl. All five of the Cowboys losses have come on the road and even when they don't lose, they tend to play in closer games during away contests. Meanwhile, Dallas is undefeated at home, which gives them a huge edge in any playoff game.