Win And They're In: Cowboys Can Clinch NFC East With Win Over Bucs
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - It's simple. If the Dallas Cowboys win, they're NFC East division champions. The team's road to the playoffs this season, however, has been anything but simple.
Towards the middle the season, playoffs may not have been on the minds of fans as the Cowboys started 3-5 with hopes looking bleak.
But, heading into the second-to-last game of the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team is now 8-6 and has a top spot in the division.
This is thanks in part to a crucial five-game winning streak where they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles twice, the Washington Redskins and the red-hot New Orleans Saints.
A win on Sunday in front of the home crowd will give the Cowboys the NFC East and a home playoff game during the wild-card round.
Dallas hopes to rebound from a shutout loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, where they looked almost completely different from the team that won five in a row against tough opponents.
Led by the NFL's leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys will hope to get their offense going early to avoid any headaches as the game comes to a close.
The defense, which looked stellar during the month of November, will look to continue their smash-mouth football approach and forget about the poor performance against the Colts where they gave up 26 points.
A little bit of help came the Cowboys' way on Saturday after the Redskins lost their game. If the Philadelphia Eagles lose against the Houston Texans on Sunday, the Cowboys will grab the division regardless of the outcome in today's game.
However, fans are hoping the Cowboys take matters into their own hands by walking off the field Sunday with a win and a celebration of an NFC East championship.