The Dallas Cowboys will have a much-needed bye week scheduled for Week 7. As they rest, and hopefully figure some things out, most of the NFC will be in action. With more time and energy to focus elsewhere in the league, what should Cowboys fans look for in these games? Yes, we know some of you are already in Jim Mora mode when it comes to the idea of Dallas in the playoffs. But for those who still want to see the Cowboys juice whatever success they can out of this year, this one's for you. While we're still only about a third of the way into the 2024 season, the playoff picture is starting to get some definition. Let's see what the NFC standings look like ahead of Week 7 as it relates to potential tournament seeding.
Minnesota Vikings (5-0 overall, 2-1 vs NFC) Atlanta Falcons (4-2 overall, 4-0 vs NFC) Washington Commanders (4-2 overall, 2-1 vs NFC) San Francisco 49ers (3-3 overall, 1-3 vs NFC) Detroit Lions (4-1 overall, 4-1 vs NFC) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2 overall, 4-1 vs NFC) Green Bay Packers (4-2 overall, 2-2 vs NFC)
————————————————————————————— Chicago Bears (4-2 overall, 2-0 vs NFC) Philadelphia Eagles (3-2 overall, 2-2 vs NFC) Dallas Cowboys (3-3 overall, 1-2 vs NFC) Seattle Seahawks (3-3 overall, 0-3 vs NFC) Arizona Cardinals (2-4 overall, 2-3 vs NFC) New Orleans Saints (2-4 overall, 2-3 vs NFC) New York Giants (2-4 overall, 1-3 vs NFC) There's still too much season left to worry about tiebreakers. But for now, know that the Falcons and 49ers have the leads in their division because of head-to-head wins over the Bucs and Seahawks, respectively. One thing that is clear even at this early point of the season is that the Cowboys have to come out of the bye week with a more competitive team. Having just 8-9 wins probably won't be enough to win the NFC East this year or even get a wild card spot. If they're going to control their own destiny, Dallas will need a lot of help from around the conference to make the postseason. Here's how they can get some help from the Week 7 schedule. The Chicago Bears are also on a bye. Giants over Eagles Panthers over Commanders While New York has shown some heart in recent weeks, they're not nearly as threatening to the Cowboys down the road as Washington or Philly. Winning the NFC East is still Dallas' best chance at getting into the playoffs so anything that involves the Eagles or Commanders the rest of the way is a top concern. Unfortunately, both of these games strongly favor those teams. Washington losing at home to Carolina would be a pretty epic flop. Philadelphia won't be the underdog in New York, but they are the road team and still didn't look that good last week against Cleveland. They're far more likely to fall than the Commanders, but still favored to win. Lions over Vikings Despite Minnesota's improbable 5-0 start, Detroit still feels like the better team. This first meeting will say a lot about who the real favorite is in the NFC North, and right now we still think that's the Lions. That would eventually put the Vikings in the wild card scene and Dallas needs as few hurdles to get over there as possible. Neither of these teams will probably be within the Cowboys' reach, but here's to hoping. Falcons over Seahawks Similar logic here; Atlanta looks like the NFC South favorite while Seattle will probably be in the wild card mix. We can adjust this perspective if the Cowboys go on some miracle run after their bye. But barring winning 10 of their next 11 games, Dallas needs as many open routes to the postseason as possible. Detroit or Minnesota probably has one of the wild card spots locked up, so that leaves just two for us and the rest of the hopefuls. We need fewer hopefuls. Broncos over Saints Texans over Packers Chiefs over 49ers Ravens over Buccaneers Chargers over Cardinals Raiders over Rams We have a slew of inter-conference games this week and it's a good time to root for the AFC. All of these wound hang losses on other potential NFC wild card teams. We'd especially like to see the 49ers, Packers, and Bucs go down as the most likely teams to still be relevant by January.
