The Dallas Cowboys could’ve clinched the NFC East title in Week 16 by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles. The team came up short against their division rivals, and now they’ll need some help in order to reach the NFL playoffs.

Philadelphia’s 17-9 victory over Dallas put them in first place in the NFC East. The Eagles are a win or a tie away from punching their ticket to the postseason.

If Philadelphia loses in Week 17, Dallas can seize the division title by winning their matchup Sunday afternoon. The Eagles visit the New York Giants. The Cowboys are scheduled to host the Washington Redskins.

An NFC East tiebreaker would go to the Cowboys because of their superior record within the division.

Philadelphia needed overtime to beat New York when they hosted the Giants in Week 14. Eli Manning was under center for the Giants in that contest. Daniel Jones will start for New York in Week 17, coming off a 352-yard, five-touchdown performance.

Dallas beat Washington 31-21 on the road in Week 2. Dak Prescott is 6-1 in his career against the Redskins.

That win was part of a 3-0 start to the Cowboys’ season. Dallas has since gone 4-8.

The Eagles have beaten each team in the division during their three-game winning streak. Carson Wentz has six touchdown passes and no interceptions during that span.

The two teams have been eliminated from wild-card contention. They can only make the playoffs with a division championship.

The NFC East winner will be the No.4 seed. The New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have clinched the remaining playoff spots in the conference.

Both Dallas and Philadelphia reached the divisional round of the 2019 NFL playoffs. The Cowboys won the NFC East and the Eagles earned a wild-card berth.

The Eagles are two seasons removed from their last division title. No team has repeated as NFC East champions since Philadelphia won the division championship from 2001-2004.

Dak Prescott Ezekiel Elliott Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after running for a first down with Dak Prescott #4 in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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