ARLINGTON, Texas — Cowboys fans, you owe the Cardinals (and North Texas native Kyler Murray) a hearty thanks.
Arizona beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday just put Dallas in the driver's seat to win the NFC East.
Dallas' narrow Week 17 win over Detroit, coupled with the Eagles loss, now has the Cowboys slated as the NFC's No. 2 seed -- and the current leader in the race for the NFC East title.
Had the Eagles beat Arizona, Philadelphia would still hold a lead over the Cowboys in the division with a 12-4 record. But, now, both teams sit at 11-5.
As such, Dallas owns the division lead via tiebreakers.
How so? Well, the Cowboys and Eagles split their head-to-head matchups, and both have a 4-1 division record, but Dallas has a better record among common opponents.
Dallas also owns the tiebreaker over the Lions -- also at 11-5 on the season -- for the No. 2 seed in the NFC East due to their head-to-head win on Saturday night.
So now Dallas' division title road has become very simple: Beat the Commanders in Week 18 and they'll host a home game in the opening round of this year's playoffs.
It should be said: The Cowboys would still clinch the NFC East even if with a loss to Washington next week, presuming the Eagles also lose to the Giants -- but let's not let it come to that, eh 'Boys?
Here is a breakdown of where the Cowboys' playoff scenarios sit at the moment:
No. 2 seed:
- Cowboys beat the Commanders
- Cowboys lose to the Commanders, Eagles lose to Giants, Lions lose to Vikings
No. 3 seed:
- Cowboys lose to the Commanders, Eagles lose to Giants, Lions beat Vikings
No. 5 seed:
- Cowboys lose to the Commanders, Eagles beat the Giants
Dallas cannot clinch the No. 1 seed after the San Francisco 49ers beat the Commanders on Sunday. Even if the Niners lose in Week 18 and the Cowboys win, both teams would be 12-5 and San Francisco has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Dallas because San Francisco beat Dallas 42-10 in Week 5.
So, Dallas will be in the playoffs, for sure. But will their first round be a home or away game?
There is a ton to play for in Week 18. And playing at home really matters for this squad.
Dallas is league-best 8-0 at home. Their 3-5 road record is the 13th-worst in the NFL.
More Dallas Cowboys coverage: