It was a race from the start. From the moment the ball was kicked off in Week 1, the Cowboys knew they were racing Philadelphia to the finish line. The Eagles won the race in 2022, staying ahead of Dallas in the NFC East every step of the way and eventually claiming that critical homefield advantage in the postseason.
The same script appears to be unfolding again in 2023.
With the win over the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, the 9-1 Eagles stand far ahead of the 7-3 Cowboys with just seven games left to play. They’re setting a pace contenders like Dallas are having a tough time keeping up with, let alone overtake.
It’s understandable if the Cowboys find themselves scoreboard watching and cheering against their rival each week. It’s the nature of competition to not only beat the opponent in front of them, but also show out better than anyone else. But the Eagles latest win may have been the cherry on their sundae.
This is the time for the Cowboys to focus on themselves. If they want to be good enough to make noise in the postseason, they can’t be focused on anyone else. The race for the NFC is largely out of their control at this point. Philadelphia is the odds-on favorite to win the division and conference. Per Sports Club Stats, they have a 58 percent chance of claiming the top seed. Dallas, only an eight percent chance.
The Cowboys should be primarily focused on getting better on the road this final stretch of the season because that’s what they’re likely facing in the postseason (home pts/game: 40, away pts/game: 24) pic.twitter.com/EUwBiRt5ux
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) November 21, 2023
In all likelihood the Cowboys will claim the fifth seed. It’s the best seeding a team who finishes second in their division can get. It pits them against the lowliest division winner in the conference, and barring an upset, guarantees them a life on the road throughout the postseason.
With seven games remaining, anything can still happen. Injuries can shift the balance in an instant and fortunes can change. But the way things stand today, the odds are stacked against Dallas, even if they win the second head-to-head against the Eagles on December 10.
Given Dallas’ well-publicized home/road splits, the Cowboys have to keep their eyes on their own paper. They need to figure out how to be just as good on the road as they are at home because there’s roughly an 81 percent chance that’s what’s happening in the postseason.
They need to win each week to keep pace in case something happens to the frontrunners. But they also need to focus on getting better, more resilient, and just as deadly on the road as they are at home, because chances are that’s the battlefield in which this postseason will be fought.
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