NFL playoff picture: How Eagles or Cowboys can clinch the NFC East in Week 17

Vinnie Iyer

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NFL playoff picture: How Eagles or Cowboys can clinch the NFC East in Week 17 image

The NFC East is the worst division in the NFL, but it will still have a playoff team — either the Eagles or the Cowboys — when the 2019 regular season is all said and done in a week.

The Eagles (8-7) got the upper hand by beating the Cowboys (7-8) in Week 16, avenging their loss in Dallas earlier this season to go up a full game. The Cowboys would have won the division by sweeping the season series, but now the Eagles have complete control in Week 17.

NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE:
Updated AFC, NFC standings for Week 16

The winner of the NFC East will get into playoffs with the No. 4 seed and host a wild-card game, most likely against the tough runner-up in the NFC West, either the 49ers or the Seahawks.

Here's a breakdown of how the Eagles or Cowboys can win a second division title in three seasons.

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How the Eagles or Cowboys win the NFC East

The Eagles still need to beat the Giants (4-11) in New York in Week 17 to win the division — or hope the Cowboys lose to the Redskins (3-12) in Dallas.

The Cowboys would win the division with a win over the Redskins and an Eagles loss to the Giants. Dallas holds the tiebreaker if both teams finish 8-8 because it would have a superior division record, 4-1 vs. 3-2 for Philadelphia.

Say the Eagles tie the Giants after going into overtime with them in Week 14: 8-7-1 works for Philly, too, because Dallas can only reach 8-8.

Say the Eagles lose to the Giants and the Cowboys tie the Redskins: Philadelphia is still the NFC East champion in that scenario at 8-8 vs. Dallas going 7-8-1.

The Giants are definitely a tough opponent for the Eagles and will be motivated to play spoiler against their rivals, but the Redskins will play with similar sentiments against the Cowboys.

The bottom line: One underachieving NFC East playoff team from last season will end 2019 on a disappointing note, with the other getting new life in the NFC playoffs.

Vinnie Iyer

Vinnie Iyer Photo

Vinnie Iyer, has been with TSN since 1999, not long after graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He has produced NFL content for more than 20 years, turning his attention to full-time writing in 2007. A native of St. Louis, Mo. but now a long-time resident of Charlotte, N.C. Vinnie’s top two professional sports teams are Cardinals and Blues, but he also carries purple pride for all things Northwestern Wildcats. He covers every aspect of the NFL for TSN including player evaluations, gambling and fantasy football, where he is a key contributor. Vinnie represents TSN as host of the “Locked On Fantasy Football” podcast on the Locked On network. Over his many years at TSN, he’s also written about MLB, NBA, NASCAR, college football, tennis, horse racing, film and television. His can’t-miss program remains “Jeopardy!”, where he was once a three-day champion and he is still avid about crossword puzzles and trivia games. When not watching sports or his favorite game show, Vinnie is probably watching a DC, Marvel or Star Wars-related TV or movie.