Cowboys need a win and help for playoffs
Playing with a backup quarterback and a defense that’s finally found itself, the Dallas Cowboys are the hottest team in the NFC East entering the final weekend of the regular season.
It might not be good enough to get them back to the playoffs.
The Cowboys (6-9) will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they travel to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants (5-10) on Sunday.
The winner could make the postseason. Or not.
Washington (6-9) has the inside track for the division title. It beat Dallas twice, so it has the head-to-head tiebreaker should the teams finish tied. A win in Philadelphia on Sunday gets Washington to the playoffs.
A Washington loss opens the door for Dallas and New York, which is on a three-game skid. A Dallas win and Washington loss gives the Cowboys and new coach Mike McCarthy the division. A Giants victory and a
Washington loss gives New York the division crown based on head-to-head play among the three teams. The Giants would be 3-1, Washington 2-2 and Dallas 1-3.
Dallas, which lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a major ankle injury in the first game against New York on Oct. 11, is the surprise. Andy Dalton and the offense are coming off a 500-yard performance in a win over Philadelphia, while the defense has 10 takeaways in the winning streak after 11 in the first 12 games.
“If you can play your best football in December, you obviously have the best chance if you have the opportunity to be in the tournament,” said McCarthy, who saw his team start 2-7. “The last three weeks we have accomplished that. Our goal clearly is to go to New York and win this game, but hopefully we play our best football this week.”
The Giants, who started the season 1-7, were in first place at the beginning of December with a 5-7 record. However, they lost to Arizona (8-7), Cleveland (10-5) and Baltimore (10-5).