The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a disappointing 31-10 loss on the road against the Buffalo Bills. While other results meant that the Cowboys clinched a playoff spot, this defeat dropped Dallas from being the NFC East leader and #2 seed in the conference. The Cowboys are now second place in the division and the #5 seed in the NFC as the top Wild Card team.
Jerry Jones' team does not have an easy schedule to close out the season either. Dallas travels to South Florida to face the high-flying Miami Dolphins before returning to Texas to host the Detroit Lions and then finishing off on the road against the Washington Commanders.
The Cowboys are three games ahead of the #6 seed Minnesota Vikings, so Dallas will be least a five seed, but the team will want to secure the NFC East title and make a run at the number-one seed and a first-round bye. With so many variables to consider here is the nightmare NFL playoff seeding and matchups for the Dallas Cowboys.
Earn #5 seed, play Wild Card game against Atlanta Falcons, Divisional game against San Francisco 49ers
Earning a Wild Card spot is the worst-case scenario, but there are a few matchups that the Cowboys would loathe much more than others. One of the common themes in Dallas' defeats this season has been poor rushing defense. The Cowboys gave up 222 yards on the ground to the Arizona Cardinals, 170 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and 266 rushing yards in their most recent defeat against the Bills. All three of those teams are in the top seven in the NFL in rushing yards per game and are the only elite rushing teams the Cowboys have faced so far.
The Cowboys face the Detroit Lions next — who are second in the league in rushing — so it will be interesting to see if this defense can bounce back from such a poor performance. It is likely that if Dallas is a Wild Card team it would face the NFC South winner, which will be the worst of the four division champs, and the worst matchup for the Cowboys in that division is easily the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons are eighth in the NFL in rushing yards per game and second in rushing attempts. Given how the Dallas defense has struggled against the run this year, this would be a difficult test for the team in the Wild Card round. Plus, Atlanta is much better than it is given credit for defensively. The team is 10th in total yards allowed per game and eighth in scoring defense. That is not a welcome sight against a Cowboys team that often struggles offensively on the road.
Should Dallas get past the Falcons and none of the other Wild Card teams win (both would be significant underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions), the Cowboys would earn a road Divisional game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys have lost to the 49ers each of the last two years in the playoffs, having failed to execute late in a pair of close games. A third straight matchup against San Francisco would be nightmarish for a Dallas team that has experienced mighty postseason struggles over the last few decades.
While the Dallas Cowboys will be a tough team to face in the postseason, Dallas will want to avoid teams with strong rushing attacks in the playoffs.
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