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Whether you're a Cowboys fan looking for the Cowboys to make the playoffs or a fan looking to secure the highest draft pick possible, we've got you covered in our Dallas Cowboys Rooting Guide.
As we head into Week 11, the playoff race is coming into focus. Some teams are already making personnel decisions with the expectation of making the playoffs, other teams are desperately trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Cowboys sit at home this week nursing their injuries and their wounded pride, so they'll stay at .500 for the week. But other teams will be playing, and the outcomes of those games may also have an impact on the Cowboys' post-season chances.
Here's an overview of how the NFC currently stacks up in the playoff race. The teams are sorted by their odds of making the playoffs, as calculated by Football Outsiders:
Division Leaders Wildcard In the Hunt
Teams Playoff Odds
Teams Playoff Odds
Teams Playoff Odds
Seattle (9-1) 99.8%
Carolina (6-3) 84.3%
Philadelphia (5-5) 43.4%
New Orleans(7-2) 88.6%
San Francisco (6-3) 64.8%
Chicago (5-4) 39.3%
Detroit (6-3) 74.2%
Green Bay (5-4) 21.9%
Dallas (5-5) 59.5%
Arizona (5-4) 19.7%
The other key consideration in determining your rooting interest is the 2014 draft order. The table below shows what that draft order would look like as determined by the W/L ratio through Week 10 as well as the strength of schedule played through week 10, with the divisional tiebreaker thrown in where required.
NFL Draft Order If the season were to end today
Draft Spot
NFL Team Wins Losses SOS through Wk 10 DIV TiebreakerDraft Spot
1
Tampa Bay 1 8 .602
2
Jacksonville 2
1 8 .639
3
Minnesota 3
2 7 .488
4
Atlanta 4
2 7 .578
5
Houston 5
2 7 .614
6
Buffalo 6
3 7 .604
7
Pittsburgh 7
3 6 .470
8
Oakland 8
3 6 .512
9
Washington (to St. Louis) 9
3 6 .518
10
New York Giants 10
3 6 .571
11
St. Louis 11
4 6 .500
12
San Diego 12
4 5 .446
13
Baltimore 13
4 5 .470
14
Miami 14
4 5 .482
15
Tennessee 15
4 5 .518 0.000
16
Cleveland 16
4 5 .518 0.667
17
Philadelphia 17
5 5 .484
18
Green Bay 18
5 4 .494
19
Chicago 19
5 4 .500
20
Arizona 20
5 4 .518
Teams currently on pace to make the playoffs where elimination will determine the proper order21
Dallas 5 5 .554
22
New York Jets 22
5 4 .482
23
Cincinnati 23
6 4 .505
24
Carolina 24
6 3 .417
25
Detroit 25
6 3 .482
26
Indianapolis (to Cleveland) 26
6 3 .494
27
San Francisco 27
6 3 .506
28
New England 28
7 2 .434
29
New Orleans 29
7 2 .446
30
Denver 30
8 1 .410
31
Seattle 31
9 1 .407
32
Kansas City 32
9 0 .357
Some fans on our board don't give up on their playoff hopes until we're mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, other fans are already looking to optimize the Cowboys' draft position. Either way, our Week 11 Rooting Guide should have you covered:
Playoff Rooting Interests
- Commanders (3-6) over Eagles (5-5). As a matter of principle, the best result here would be if both teams lose. Barring that, we're rooting against the Eagles, as a loss would drop them to 2-3 in the division. The Cowboys are 3-0 in the division and with an Eagles loss this week and a Cowboys win over the Giants next week, the Cowboys would clinch the divisional tiebreaker over the Eagles.
- Patriots (7-2) over Panthers (6-3): With the Saints looking good for the division, the Panthers could end up competing for a wildcard against the Cowboys. As much as it pains Cowboys fans, we must root for Belichick's minions.
- Baltimore (4-5) over Chicago (5-4): Barring a division title, the Cowboys' route to the playoffs will be via a wildcard spot. The Bears are a direct competitor for that spot, so a loss here would help the Cowboys' chances.
- Jaguars (1-8) over Cardinals (5-4): The Cardinals are still in the running for a wildcard spot, so it would be good for Cowboys fans if the Jaguars helped the Cardinals fan base transition from playoff talk to draft talk.
- Pittsburgh (3-6) over Lions (6-3). The Lions have the easiest remaining strength of schedule (.359) of any team in the NFL, so they look like favorites for the division crown. But Strength of Schedule helps to determine the draft order in the event of tie-breakers, so the weaker the Cowboys' schedule, the better their draft position. The Cowboys played the Lions this year so they count against the Cowboys' Strength of Schedule. We gladly root against that bunch of misfits in Detroit and their Chief Enabling Officer Jim Schwartz
- Giants (3-6) over Green Bay (5-4): The Packers are easy prey without Aaron Rodgers, and we root for the Giants to win just enough games to drop as far as possible in the draft order yet still remain out of playoff contention.
- 49ers (6-3) over Saints (7-2): This is a game that deserves two losers, as both teams figure into the Cowboys' playoff chances in one way or another, especially if the Cowboys harbor any farfetched wildcard hopes. However, the Saints figure into the Cowboys' Strength of Schedule, whereas the 49ers don't. A Saints win would strengthen Dallas' Strength of Schedule (and thus negatively affect their draft position), which is already the seventh highest through ten weeks. We grudgingly root for the 49ers as the lesser of two evils.
- Seattle (9-1) over Vikings (2-7): Nobody is going to stop the Seahawks from making the playoffs this year. The Cowboys have played the Vikings, so a Vikings loss would lower the Cowboys' Strength of Schedule.
- Buccaneers (1-8) over Falcons (2-7): This game has no impact on the Cowboys' playoff chances or on their draft stock, so it doesn't matter how this game ends. We just get a little more pleasure from watching the Falcons crash and burn than watching the Buccaneers further disintegrate.
- All AFC games: We'll leave it up to you who to root for here.
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