Cowboys playoff picture: Eagles win over Chiefs keeps their NFC East lead the same

The Dallas Cowboys did not pick up any help on Monday night.

Sunday went incredibly well for the Dallas Cowboys. They picked up a win and as the rest of the day’s action unfolded they saw all of the other challenges to Wild Card positions in the NFC (to be clear, talking about the top challengers) lose and give them more room for error.

But Monday night still had to happen and the Philadelphia Eagles were playing. With Dallas having lost to Philly already this season they are staring up at them in the race for the NFC East title, and unfortunately the Kansas City Chiefs could not provide any help.

The status quo remains what it was in the NFC East, for now at least.

The Cowboys did greatly improve their Wild Card position in Week 11

It is important to note that even though the Eagles won that Week 11 was an incredibly successful one for the Dallas Cowboys given the losses sustained by the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders. Those three teams were the immediate contenders to Dallas in the Wild Card standings entering the week and with their losses on top of the Dallas win some breathing room has been established.

An argument can be made that the best position to be in as an NFC playoff team outside of being the top seed is at the #5 spot given that the Wild Card Round would feature a trip to face the winner of the NFC South. The New Orleans Saints currently lead that division and seem like a less-than-intimidating foe for anyone (obviously anything can happen).

As far as the NFC East is concerned, the Cowboys are still in need of help. The next couple of weeks will be very interesting as Dallas will play on back to back Thursdays with their Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Washington Commanders followed by their Thursday Night Football contest against the Seattle Seahawks. Those games will be followed by Sundays where the Eagles will host the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, respectively.

These next two weeks will then take us to the next matchup between Dallas and Philadelphia, and while the rivalry is what it is, the reality is that if Philly does not lose between now and then that the true significance of it could dwindle a bit. There is an argument to be made that the most critical game remaining for Dallas right now is the Seahawks game given that Seattle could be the primary contender for the #5 seed and right now that is the most probable path to the playoffs for the Cowboys.

There are still seven weeks to go in the NFL season and a lot can happen. Buckle up.