With a win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Washington Commanders will secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. Last week, they clinched a playoff spot and moved ahead of the Green Bay Packers for the sixth seed.
Why does one spot matter? The Commanders could avoid a Wild Card round rematch against the Eagles — who they beat two weeks ago —in Philadelphia in what’s expected to be frigid weather. Instead, Washington would either head West to play in Los Angeles against the Rams or South to Tampa to play the Buccaneers.
There are no easy outs in the playoffs. Everyone is good. It’s not like Washington is afraid of Philadelphia. The Commanders beat them once and held the lead over them for three-quarters in their other meeting. However, it’s about strategy.
Head coach Dan Quinn said earlier this week that the higher seed mattered for the Commanders and they were going for it.
“Yeah, we’re going to go after as hard as we can,” Quinn said. “I think the seeding portion of this is really important, and that’s what we discussed as a team. We thought last night the vibe was awesome at the game. We thought we left some plays out there, and so for us that leveling up as we’re heading into this week with Dallas would be really important. But we recognize having a six seed and going into the playoffs with that is a good thing. And so, we’re going to fight like hell to keep that.”
The Rams have already clinched the NFC West. They will enter the playoffs either as the No. 3 or 4 seed. Head coach Sean McVay apparently isn’t too concerned because L.A. will host its Wild Card opponent.
This week, McVay said several starters would not play in the regular-season finale against the Seahawks. McVay ruled out Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams, Kevin Dotson, and Alaric Jackson.
Washington’s other potential Wild Card opponent, the Buccaneers, is playing everyone because they need to win. A Tampa Bay loss and a Falcons win would mean the Buccaneers are out of the playoffs. The Bucs host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
If Tampa and Washington win, and the Rams lose, the Commanders and Bucs will have a Week 1 rematch in the Wild Card round. In this scenario, the Rams would host the loser of the NFC North game between the Lions and Vikings, which, on paper, appears to be a tougher matchup for Los Angeles.
Regardless of what happens elsewhere, the Commanders are locked in on beating the Cowboys and letting the rest take care of itself.