Tag: 2022 playoffs

NFL Playoffs Predictions, Opening Odds: Cowboys-Buccaneers play Monday night

The game dates and times are set and the opening lines have been released. Here are our predictions for all contests including Cowboys-Bucs. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The NFL playoff picture is all set with the Green Bay Packers’ loss sending the Seattle Seahawks traveling to San Francisco to take on the red-hot 49ers.  The rest of the NFL already knew who they’d be playing against and now everyone knows when as well.

The playoff schedule was announced at the conclusion of the SNF matchup, and as has been expected all weekend, the Dallas Cowboys will be in the final matchup of the weekend. They will travel to Tampa Bay for a rematch of Week 1 when they take on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the final of six games this coming weekend. Here’s a look at the kickoff times of the other five matchups and predictions for each contest.

Cavalry Coming? 3 key players Cowboys should get back for playoff run

The Cowboys hope to welcome back two members of their defensive front 7 and a member of the OL in hopes to solidify trench play in the playoffs. | From @ReidDHanson.

Throughout the course of the 2022 season, the Dallas Cowboys have suffered their fair share of impactful injuries. From Tyron Smith in the preseason to Dak Prescott in Week 1 to Anthony Brown in Week 13, Dallas knows the adversity that inevitably comes with injury.

The Cowboys have had to adapt, like most NFL teams by this stage, and have replaced multiple players on both sides of the ball. They look like a much different team today than they did just one month ago, much less way back in July when training camp started.

While they may have gone 4-1 in December, they’ve struggled on both sides of the ball, providing fuel for one of the most pessimistic 12-4 fan base the NFL has ever seen. Yet, good news may be on the horizon. With the playoffs fast approaching, Dallas may be welcoming back a few key players whose losses have directly led to some of the Cowboys’ recent struggles.

3 Outcomes: Cowboys opening odds, NFC playoff scenarios for Week 18

The Cowboys are one of 3 NFC teams with a shot at the No. 1 seed, despite all the horrible things you’ve read about them. Here’s your W18 preview. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Week 17 is a wrap for the NFC. All 16 teams have fought the good fight and gleaned a little more intel about what they’re composed of. Two teams punched their ticket to the dance, the seven-team tournament for a trip to the Super Bowl now has just one opening remaining. The New York Giants improved to 9-6-1 after pummeling the listless Indianapolis Colts, 38-10. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers bounced back to tame the surging Carolina Panthers, 30-24.

The only vacancy is for the final wild-card slot, the seven seed. Three teams are in contention for the last scratch-off ticket remaining. Meanwhile, at the top of the totem sit three teams still with a chance of earning a bye week. The Dallas Cowboys are one of them. After all of the offseason handwringing, predictions of a nine-win season, or worse, from multiple outlets, the Cowboys are one of the last teams standing entering Week 18. Here’s a look at how it all could play out, and the current odds for the final slate of games that matter to the seedings.

Cowboys playoff floor set, ceiling still sky high after Week 17 early slate

Here’s how the early Week 17 action impacts the Cowboys. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Apparently it’s still Christmas in the DFW. Going into the holiday season, the Cowboys had a lowly 0.5% chance of earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a bye week. Somehow, with the majority of Week 17 in the books, that chance still remains. Make no mistake, Dallas’ collapse at Jacksonville that ended with a stunning Noah Bown drop that turned into a Pick 6 still stands as the most important thing that has happened to the Cowboys the second half of the season. But even with that loss, the results since have allowed Dallas to stay alive in their pursuit of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since, Dallas took out the Eagles 40-34 in Week 16 and then took out the Tennessee Titans. That 27-13 win moved the club to 12-4 with a game remaining. Then on Sunday in the early window, the Eagles continued to struggle, falling to the New Orleans Saints 20-10. The loss dropped them to 13-3 and for the second consecutive week they failed to lock up home-field advantage.

Here’s a look at the early Week 17 results and how they impact the Cowboys’ postseason picture.

NFL Playoffs: Predicting final 6 weeks for Cowboys, Eagles, all NFC contenders

Dallas is the most-tested; boasting the NFL’s best record against current playoff teams at 5-2. Predictions for the final 6 weeks. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The NFC race is wide open in 2022, with six weeks remaining in the regular season. For a long time, earning a bye week was paramount to representing the conference in the Super Bowl. For eight straight seasons, from 2012 through 2019, a team that earned a bye week made it to the Super Bowl. That’s changed with the addition of the seventh playoff seed over the last two seasons. The shift means only the top seed has a bye and since the conference has been won by teams needing to get through all three rounds of the playoffs. First Tom Brady and the Bucs went from the wild-card spot and last year Matt Stafford led the NFC West-champion Rams to the Lombardi.

Will this be a new trend or just a blip? Regardless, every team will fight to win the No. 1 seed, even if those who fall short have reasons to remain confident. The Dallas Cowboys are a team firmly in the hunt, but will still need some help in getting there. Currently the No. 5 seed, Dallas needs to handle their business in the final stretch plus see both the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles to lose one more game than them. If that happens, the Week 16 tilt between Dallas and Philadelphia will be for the sought-after prize.

Here’s our predictions for how the rest of the season will go for the nine teams with realistic shots of making the playoffs from the NFC.

2021 NFC playoff rankings: Saints still in the hunt for a wild-card seed

2021 NFC playoff rankings: Saints still in the hunt for a wild-card seed despite crowded playoff picture

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Week 14’s NFL schedule is almost wrapped up, with Monday night’s prime-time game between the 8-4 Los Angeles Rams and 10-2 Arizona Cardinals left to go. And that matchup carries some playoff implications. If the Cardinals lose, they’d also lose their hold on the No. 1 seed and the lucrative bye week that comes with it — the 10-3 Green Bay Packers, the No. 2 seed, have a head-to-head win over Arizona. The Rams would remain the top wild-card seed regardless of a win or loss, but things would change at the top.

But where do the New Orleans Saints fit in? They’re still in the mix for a wild-card spot along with a number of other teams. Despite having lost five in a row the sloppy state of the NFC means New Orleans still has a shot at reaching the postseason. They aren’t mathematically eliminated in the NFC South title race, but it’s a long shot with the Buccaneers still rolling. Here is how it all shakes out in the NFC playoff standings: