ARLINGTON, Texas — In the last four days, the Dallas Cowboys clinched a playoff spot and the NFC East title without even playing a single game.
With the Tennessee Titans beating the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, the Cowboys clinched a wild-card berth in the playoffs, and with the Las Vegas Raiders beating the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Cowboys won the division title based on a strength-of-victory tiebreaker with the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the Cowboys can beat the Washington Football Team on Sunday night, they will remain as the No. 2 seed in the NFC with two games to play because of their conference record in a three-way tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams.
The Cowboys would improve to 9-1 in the NFC with a win against Washington. If the Cowboys get into a two-way tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with the defending Super Bowl champion based on the Week 1 loss.
The Cowboys close the season Jan. 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, which have lost four straight games to fall from the top spot in the NFC to a wild-card spot behind the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West, and Jan. 9 at the Philadelphia Eagles. The Green Bay Packers (12-3) hold the No. 1 seed in the conference and would receive the only bye with an expanded playoff format.
The Cowboys last won the NFC East in 2018 with a 10-6 record. They have not had homefield advantage in the playoffs since 2016 and have not advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since winning Super Bowl XXX in 1995.