The goal of almost every NFL team is to win the Super Bowl every year. Sure, there are a handful of teams that start a season with a rebuild, but by and large every team no longer wants to represent their conference in the Big Game. For years, the easiest path to the Super Bowl has been to host the NFC Championship Game, and the easiest way to do that is to finish the regular season with the best record in your respective conference.
Things have gone completely wrong for 2024 Dallas Cowboys as they have a record of 3-7 through 11 weeks. And with the Washington Commanders entering Week 12 at 7-4, Dallas is in danger of failing to reach that top regular-season goal. Everyone knows they're not going anywhere this year, but an official elimination scenario is now on the table.
There are five scenarios in which the Cowboys could be eliminated from contention for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
- Dallas loses to Washington
- Dallas and Washington are tied, while the Detroit Lions win
- Dallas and Washington draw, Detroit and Indianapolis draw, Minnesota wins
- DAL/WAS tie, Minnesota wins, Green Bay wins
- DAL/WAS draw, Minnesota wins, Green Bay draw
Any of the five scenarios above means Dallas begins losing its path to the playoffs as early as Week 12.