Cowboys Playoff Picture: Week 17 Scenarios & Wild Card Matchups

Getty Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys find themselves heading into Week 17 with a spot in the NFL playoffs already locked up. Fortunately, they have the opportunity to rest players should they choose and give big names an extra week to prepare for the playoff run. On that note, it’s already known the team will rest one star in running back Ezekiel Elliott.

NFL Network’s Jane Slater revealed that Elliott will sit out the final game of the season against the New York Giants for rest purposes. The main reason behind this move is obvious, as the Cowboys have locked up the No. 4 seed in the NFC and can’t improve their spot with a win, nor can they fall with a loss. Dallas already has a good idea of who they’ll welcome in the wild card round also, but there’s a chance of a potential shake-up.

Let’s take a look at how Week 17 could impact the first-round matchups for the Cowboys and potentially even change things even beyond that.

NFC Playoff Standings & Scenarios to Watch

As things stand, the Cowboys would face the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round, a matchup likely set to stay the same. The Minnesota Vikings could jump the Seahawks with a win and a Seattle loss which would flip their seedings.

With that said, Seattle draws a home game against the three-win Arizona Cardinals and come in as heavy favorites. The expectation is that the Cowboys and Seahawks will meet in the first round, but how things shake up after that could be the real talking point. Depending on how games for the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Vikings go, Dallas could be looking at a possible shift in a second-round matchup.

Week 17 Impact on Cowboys’ Playoff Picture

While the Cowboys are set to be the No. 4 seed, they may be more focused on the outcomes for the Seahawks and Vikings. But beyond that, the NFL uses a reseeding method which gives the No. 1 seed a matchup in the divisional round with the lowest remaining seed.

There are no “easy” matchups in the playoffs, but if the Cowboys advance from round one, there could have interest in avoiding the New Orleans Saints and facing the Los Angeles Rams. The Saints are locked into the top spot, but the Rams need to win or have the Bears lose to hold the No. 2 seed. As things stand, all four of the top seeds have a good chance to remain the same.

Then comes the topic of the Vikings and Eagles in a possible battle for the No. 6 seed. If either of those teams finishes in that spot and then defeats either the Bears or Rams (likely Chicago), they would then face the Saints in the divisional round. Much of what Cowboys fans are rooting for on Sunday should come down to who they want to face in both the wild card and also possibly the divisional round.

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