The Dallas Cowboys, thanks to a Christmas Day kickoff on Thursday, were able to sit back and watch the rest of the NFL play football this weekend. Having a mini-bye this late in the season is unique, but without the playoffs to prepare for, it does the organization zero good aside from being able to watch without any real nervousness attached to it.
The Cowboys do care about the results from Saturday and Sunday; or at least the front office does, because draft order has still yet to be determined. The Cowboys care about not just where they pick, but they also are tracking where the Green Bay Packers finish as well.
In that vein, Saturday was a good day for the Cowboys, but Sunday didn’t help them at all.
Saturday’s Key Results for Cowboys
On Saturday, with both teams starting backup QBs, the Baltimore Ravens took down the Packers on the strength of four Derrick Henry touchdowns. The win gave the Ravens their eighth win of the season, and the loss eliminated the Packers from being able to win the NFC North.
That’s key, because even though the Packers are already in the playoffs, they will not host at Lambeau Field, at least not in the wild card round. The Packers are just 4-3-1 on the road this year and the earlier they are eliminated in the playoffs, the higher their draft slot, which the Cowboys own by virtue of the offseason Micah Parsons trade.
The Packers are stuck as the NFC’s seventh seed, so they will travel to one of five destinationa (L.A., Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago or Philadelphia).
Sunday’s Sad Results for Cowboys
Sunday, however, didn’t work out well for the Cowboys. Dallas’ 7-8-1 record is likely going to reach 8-8-1 after hey play the New York Giants in Week 18. The Giants have lost nine in a row entering their Week 17 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, with the two teams playing for the No. 1 overall selection.
By virtue of their tie, the Cowboys will draft after any team that has the same number as victories as they do, so they’d love for every team that could end up with 9 wins or more to do that.
Three teams were in play during Sunday’s early games with a legit path to nine wins, but all three teams lost.
The Indianapolis Colts entered the weekend 8-7 and hosted the Jackssonville Jaguars. They played tough, but let a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter end up a 23-17 loss after Philip Rivers tossed an interception in the fourth quarter.
The Colts can still get to nine wins if they can beat the Houston Texans next week.
Two NFC South competitors could’ve worked towards Dallas’ goal, but the Carolina Panthers (now 8-8) lost at home to Seattle, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (now 7-9) fell to the Dolphins in Miami.
These two clubs will face off next week to determine who wins the division. The loser will miss the playoffs and is guaranteed to have no more than eight wins. The loser will pick before Dallas if the Cowboys beat the Giants as expected. The winner will pick after the Cowboys regardless of their final record, by virtue of making the playoffs,
Sunday’s Lone Bright Spots for the Cowboys
One good thing did happen for the Cowboys in the early Sunday kickoffs. The Cleveland Browns upset the Pittsburgh Steelers, keeping Mike Tomlin’s club from clinching the AFC North. That sets them up to face the Ravens next week in a similar win-and-in, lose-and-go-home matchup like the Panthers and Bucs.
That gives the Ravens a shot at getting to nine wins. The Steelers already have nine wins, so if they missed the playoffs, they’d still pick after the Cowboys.
The late afternoon window can also bring a small smile to Cowboys fans, as the Eagles are in Buffalo and any time Philly loses is a plus, regardless of real implications.
Also, there’s a consolation prize to the Bucs losing to the Dolphins. It brings Miami to seven wins on the year. If Dallas somehow finds a way to lose their final game, they could move in front of the Dolphins in draft order if Miami wins next week in New England. The Atlanta Falcons (6-9) could enter the chat as well if they upset the Rams on MNF.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Sunday’s game results work vs Cowboys’ draft interests in worst way
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
