Here’s how the Dallas Cowboys blowing out the Minnesota Vikings impacts the NFC Playoff Picture and NFC Wild Card Standings after Week 11.
Coming into Week 11, it looked like the Minnesota Vikings were well positioned to potentially overthrow the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Philly narrowly escaped Indianapolis with a win, despite being the superior team on paper and the Colts not having a head coach with more than a week of experience on the job.
But the Vikings were beaten by the Dallas Cowboys and obliterated to the point where the goodwill they mustered in their win over Buffalo was rendered useless. Minnesota is 8-2, holds the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but has a negative point differential.
Yikes.
Here’s a look at the NFL Playoff Picture now that the Vikings have fallen back to earth and the Cowboys seem to have hit their stride.
Updated NFC Playoff Picture after Cowboys destroy Vikings in Week 11
Minnesota losing means the Eagles margin for error widens back to a more comfortable level. Philly has a tiebreaker over Minnesota by way of a Week 2 beating they gave the Vikings, but their loss to the Commanders closed the gap a little. Had the Vikings won, the scenario would have still existed where another loss by the Eagles would have sunk them below Minnesota and cost them the No. 1 seed.
Now the Eagles have a one-loss cushion thanks to the Vikings blowout loss. The only downside is that the beating came at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, which is a reminder to everyone that the NFC East is full of contenders that are capable of doing what the Cowboys did on Sunday.
Here’s a look at what the NFC Playoff bracket would look like if the postseason started today:
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
- New York Giants (7-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
Based on those standings, here’s what the playoff matchups would look like for the first weekend of action:
- (2) Minnesota Vikings vs. (7) San Francisco 49ers
- (3) Seattle Seahawks vs. (6) New York Giants
- (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) Dallas Cowboys
Each higher-seeded team would host its Wild Card Weekend matchup. The Philadelphia Eagles would have a first-round bye with the No. 1 seed and host any playoff game they play in.
NFC Wild Card standings after Week 11
Here’s what the Wild Card standings look like after Week 11:
- Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
- New York Giants (7-3)
- Washington Commanders (6-5)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
- Detroit Lions (4-6)
- Arizona Cardinals (4-6)
- Green Bay Packers (4-7)
- New Orleans Saints (4-7)
- Los Angeles Rams (3-7)
- Carolina Panthers (3-8)
- Chicago Bears (3-8)
A major development here in terms of NFC North pride is the fact that the Detroit Lions are the second-best team in the division and have officially moved ahead of the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card standings.
Speaking of the NFC North, Bears fans have to be sick. Had Chicago beaten Green Bay in a winnable game earlier this year, the Packers would be in last place and the Bears would be in the thick of the playoff chase. Add in a potential win over the Commanders — another game that Chicago easily could have won — and the Bears are potentially in the playoffs.