The Dallas Cowboys need one more win to keep the party going. They’ve already clinched a playoff berth, so that’s sewn up, but they still need to win a Week 18 divisional road contest in order to give themselves the best chance of reaching the Super Bowl.
A victory against the Washington Commanders on Sunday will give Dallas a 12th win on the year for the third consecutive season under Mike McCarthy. It will also mean the NFC East continues it’s trend of not having a repeat champion for a full two decades.
But that’s anecdotal, bragging rights stuff that in the end is inconsequential. The real meat and potatoes of sports is whether or not a team can hoist a trophy when it’s all said and done. The Cowboys haven’t done so in a very long time, so the focus should be on what is the best path for them to get there.
Any team can lose a game, at home or on the road.
That’s the nature of sports and in the one-and-done world of football, it’s even more true. Small sample sizes can lead to a ton of “gotcha” moments that don’t disprove trends, and knowing when to go against the grain is crucial in betting, but vibes are not a solid way to move. Trends are trends for a reason, and the data says Dallas’ most likely path to representing the NFC on a neutral surface, is to play as many games as possible at AT&T Stadium.
Here’s why.