tiebreakers – Syndication Server

Saints finish last in NFC South, but will still pick after a division rival

Despite finishing last in the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints will still pick after the Carolina Panthers due to a strength of schedule tiebreaker:

With the dust settling on Week 18, the New Orleans Saints now hold the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL draft — with the Carolina Panthers slotted at No. 8. But the Saints managed to finish last in their division for the 2024 season for a variety of tiebreaking decisions, as it went down to the third tier of tiebreaker. Here is how that was handled:

Head-to-head record – Both teams had a win this season against each other.
Division Record – Both teams completed the season with a 2-4-0 divisional record
Record in common games (games in which both teams had the same opponent at some point in the year) – Saints finished 2-10 in these games, Panthers finished 3-9.

One single win split these two teams apart in the divisional standings, where the Panthers beat the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons once, the Saints only beat the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants from the list of common games.

With this in mind, the tiebreaker for draft picks is different, as its first method to break up the deadlock is strength of schedule. The belief is teams with an easier strength of schedule should get a better pick, as it means they had the same record against worse opponents. For the 2024 season, the Saints had a .507 strength of schedule to the Panthers’ .496, meaning the Panthers had easier opponents overall, and get the better pick as a result.

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8 teams that can help Cowboys playoff push over next 4 days

Here’s how the Cowboys can clinch a playoff spot by 10pm Central Tuesday and what other games can help their rise up the NFC ladder. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are on the precipice of going to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The club is winning at a clip better than two out of every three games and it’s put them in the position to be one of the first teams to punch their ticket to the 14-team January Invitational. They’ll need some help to do so, but it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion they will win the NFC East if they emerge from this weekend’s trip to New York victorious and the Philadelphia Eagles defend their home turf against the team coming up I-95, the Football Team from Washington.

That scenario will eliminate Washington from the race, and leave the Eagles with only the slightest chance of winning a strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Dallas. Right now the teams the Cowboys have defeated have won a total of 56 games. The teams the Eagles have defeated have won 28 games. Dallas’ best wins have come over the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots, winners of eight and nine games respectively going into the weekend.

The Eagles’ best win has been over the 7-6 Denver Broncos.

Because of this, the Eagles would need to win their final three games, Dallas lose their final three games and for the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and the opponents of both the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots to combine for 12 wins in their final 16 games.

That’s not happening, so while Dallas will need five results (plus a win and Eagles’ loss) to officially clinch this weekend, for all intents and purposes the East will be in the bag just if the division results work as outlined.

But Dallas’ goal isn’t just making the playoffs, they have a realistic shot at the No. 1 seed or at least moving up from the No. 4 seed. Here’s how things can work out in their favor.

Cowboys Week 17 Rooting Guide: Setting up playoff matchup, draft order

Everything is on table from No. 7 pick to best playoff matchup for the #Cowboys. Here’s how you should be watching the bottom scroll for the best possible situation for the Cowboys come Monday. The final rooting guide of the season.

It’s not a tale of two cities, but there are two competing destinies when it comes to Week 17 for the Dallas Cowboys. On one hand, there’s the very fun and previously unrealistic pursuit of a playoff spot. If the Cowboys win and the Washington Football Team loses, a team that started 2-7 and 3-9 will be the No. 4 seed in the dance.

On the other hand, if the Cowboys don’t make the playoffs, they could end up drafting anywhere between No. 7 and No. 15, depending on the results of their game and others. So here’s a helpful menu of Sunday’s action, with the potential impact on the fortune of that big, dumb team of ours we love so almost unconditionally.