I present to y’all, the 2018 NFC East Division Champions Dallas Cowboys!
Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? After a roller coaster season where Cowboy fans saw the team start out 3-5, the nation now sees the Dallas Cowboys as division champs once again. Head coach Jason Garrett saw his job flash before his eyes, but stayed the course and now has his 3rd division title in the last 5 years.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys will more than likely square off against the Seattle Seahawks, barring late season antics by the Eagles and Vikings. So let’s check out the playoffs scenario possibilities that can happen this final week of the regular season.
The Minnesota Vikings could be the opponent of Dallas if they beat Chicago who has all but locked up the 3 seed in the NFC, and if Seattle loses. But Chicago will be playing for a bye week, so it will be a tough matchup for Minnesota to win as the Bears defense has exploded since the addition of All-Pro DE Khalil Mack, staying steady in the top 5 of the league.
If Dallas does in fact get to play against the Vikings in the first round, they will face arguably the best wide receiver duo in the entire NFL with Adam Theilen and Stefon Diggs lining up across from them. Kirk Cousins, as hyped up as he was before the season, has been inconsistent this year, struggling against teams over the .500 mark record wise. One advantage Dallas would have, is the defensive line over Minnesota’s offensive line, as Cousins has been sacked 36 times through 16 weeks. He has 9 fumbles as well, so putting pressure with DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory will be huge for this defense.
The Seattle Seahawks, as much as I would not like to see them in the playoffs, I would much rather see them than the Philadelphia Eagles with their new found confidence with Nick Foles. Russell Wilson is a magician, performing at his normal MVP level on Sunday Night Football, knocking off Patrick Maholmes and the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime.
Last time the Cowboys faced Wilson and the Seahawks, Dallas was handed the loss, leaving beaten and bruised as they were dominated in Seattle. Since that loss, the Cowboys are 8-5 and have a five game win streak sandwiched in there somewhere. Amari Cooper wasn’t part of the team the first time around, so it will be another wrinkle on the offensive scheme that Seattle will have to adjust to. Although the Cowboys have improved on the offensive side since the acquisition of Cooper, they firmly sit in the bottom 5 of red zone offense, converting just 45.6% of trips into points on the board.
With the playoffs in clear view, the Cowboys will get the luxury of hosting the game. The last time the Cowboys hosted a playoff game, they were defeated by the great Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. This time around, Dallas will draw either Super Bowl MVP Russell Wilson, or Kirk Cousins and the dangerous Vikings offense.
Who would YOU rather face in the playoffs?
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