The Dallas Cowboys are now in an advantageous position heading into their Week 18 game even though they did not play on Sunday. That's because the Philadelphia Eagles were upset at home by the Arizona Cardinals and that defeat has given the Cowboys the opportunity to win the NFC East title.

The Cowboys narrowly defeated the Detroit Lions 21-20 Saturday night, and the Cowboys improved their record to 11-5 with that victory. The Eagles saw their record drop to that same mark when they lost a 35-31 decision to the Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

If quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys can beat the Washington Commanders on the road in Week 18, they will be the division champions. Dallas will have the tiebreaker edge over the Eagles because they will have the better conference record. The Cowboys have an 8-3 record against NFC teams, while the Eagles are 7-4 in that category.

If Dallas wins the division title, it will mark the 18th straight year that the NFC East has not seen a repeat champion.

The division lead has belonged to the Eagles the majority of the season, but head coach Nick Sirianni has seen his team lose 4 of its last 5 games, and that's why the Cowboys have a great chance to clinch the division title.

The Cowboys have been a dominant team when playing at AT&T Stadium this season, finishing the home schedule with an 8-0 record. However, they are just 3-5 on the road, and they will face the Commanders at FedEx Field.

If the Cowboys lose at Washington, the Eagles will win the division title if they can defeat the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in their regular-season finale.