Dallas Cowboys Clinch No.4 Playoff Seed, Will Host Seahawks Or Vikings In 2019 NFC Wild-Card Game

The Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East title by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. The team is also locked in as the NFC’s No.4 seed, meaning they have only a couple of possible opponents on Wild-Card Weekend with one game left in the regular season.

Two teams head into Week 17 with the chance to earn the conference’s No.5 seed. It’ll be either the Seattle Seahawks or Minnesota Vikings that wins the first wild-card berth and a trip to AT&T Stadium in two weeks.

Seattle is the favorite to get that spot. They’ve got a half-game lead over Minnesota with an upcoming matchup at home against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have the NFL’s worst record and are headed for the No.1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Minnesota can only get the No.5 seed if the Seahawks lose and the Vikings beat the Chicago Bears. Chicago has already beaten Minnesota in the NFC North race, but they’ve got a slim chance to earn a first-round playoff bye in Week 17.

The Seahawks have already won in Arizona this season. The Vikings lost to the Bears 25-20 at Soldier Field a few weeks ago.

A matchup between Dallas and Minnesota would be a first this season. The Seahawks hosted the Cowboys in Week 3, beating them pretty handily 24-13.

This is not the same Cowboys’ teams that lost at CenturyLink Field in September. Dallas’ offense has been much better in the second half of the season with the addition of Amari Cooper. The Cowboys have six wins in their last seven games.

With nothing on the line in the season finale, the Cowboys could rest most of their starters for the majority of the game. Dallas is scheduled to visit the New York Giants, who are out of playoff contention.

If Dallas loses and either Seattle or Minnesota wins in Week 17, the Cowboys will have a worse record than their first-round opponent.

The Cowboys have won at least nine games in each of the past three seasons. Dak Prescott has started every contest during that span, leading Dallas to a 31-16 record.