How the Dallas Cowboys Can Still Make the Playoffs
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver
(not pictured) during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
New York Giants (5-5)
Schedule:
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: @ Washington Redskins
Week 13: vs. New York Jets
Week 14: @ Miami Dolphins
Week 15: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 16: @ Minnesota Vikings
Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Giants are currently leading the NFC East, but they’ve still only got a 5-5 record. However, Eli Manning and his Giants likely pose the biggest threat to Dallas’ playoff hopes, as the Giants would likely win the division by managing just 4 more wins this season, and their schedule doesn’t look too daunting.
The three scariest matchups for the Giants are probably the Week 13 game against the Jets, Week 15 against the Panthers, and Week 16 against the Vikings. These three teams are playing excellent defense this season, and if they can hold Manning’s passing attack in check they may be able to take advantage of a Giants defense that has only held two teams under 20 points this year.
The Giants will have to win at least one of these games if they want to finish better than 8-8, but none of these matchups are impossible. If they can figure out how to start a running game and their defense can keep forcing turnovers, the Giants could certainly finish 9-7 or better.
If New York goes 10-6 the Cowboys are likely out of the playoff race, but even if both teams are 9-7, Dallas has a decent shot at the tiebreaker. The Giants and Cowboys have each beat each other once this season, and the next tiebreaker is the overall division record. If Dallas wins out they’ll have a 4-2 division record, so if the Giants drop one more divisional matchup, the best division record they could have would be 3-3. If these teams tie in their division matchup, the next tiebreaker is overall record against common opponents, a formula too complicated to determine this far from the season’s end.
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