After the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, it looked like they could no longer win the NFC East. Considering the easier schedule of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dak Prescott and Co.’s chance really plummeted. However, after Week 17 that saw America’s Team beat the Detroit Lions and Philly bow down to the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys now have complete control of their destiny.
Dallas will only need to beat the Washington Commanders in Week 18 to secure the NFC East Division title. And considering that Washington has nothing left to play for–all while riding a seven-game losing streak–the win is certainly for the Cowboys to take.
Even if the Eagles beat the New York Giants this coming Sunday, the Cowboys will take the division crown with a win. Philadelphia’s only chance is for Dallas to lose their game with Washington, and they win or tie with New York, per The Athletic.
Sure enough, by the looks of it, the Dallas Cowboys are well-poised to secure the division and a home-field advantage in the opening round.
Dallas Cowboys Set To Extend 18-Year NFC East Streak
Whether it’s a curse for the NFC East or a blessing for the teams on it, there’s no denying that this one stat deserves to be noticed: Apparently, for the last 18 years, no NFC East champion has repeated the following year.
“The NFC East has gone 18 consecutive years in which the defending NFC East champion did not repeat the following year. The Cowboys could extend that streak to 19 straight years with a win next Sunday against Washington. It’s the stat that never dies,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
If the Cowboys do end up winning the division title, they will be able to extend that record.
In the 2022 season, it was the Philadelphia Eagles who won the division championship. The year prior to that, in 2021, it was the Dallas Cowboys. Back in 2020, the Washington Commanders dominated.
Over the past 10 years, those three teams have been interchanging as division winners. Only the New York Giants weren’t able to claim the top seed in the NFC East during that span.
It will definitely be interesting to see what happens in the season-finale. The Cowboys have their destiny on their hands, while the Eagles will certainly hope Lady Luck smiles on them and they break the NFC East streak.
For now, though, Cowboys and Eagles fans can only stay patient and wait for Sunday’s final slate of regular season games.
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