FRISCO — The Cowboys must wait until Sunday to nail down a division title.
But it won’t have to wait to make the playoffs.
That invitation was extended Thursday evening when Tennessee beat San Francisco 20-17. The loss by the 49ers ensures that the Cowboys will return to the post-season after a two-year absence.
There was really no drama on this point. An early six-game winning streak, followed by three-consecutive road wins to open December, have nudged Dallas near the top of the NFC pack. The Cowboys become the second team in the conference to enter the playoff field.
Green Bay was the first to capture a playoff spot and a division title with its win on Sunday. The Packers currently hold the No. 1 seed with the Cowboys right behind at No. 2.
The franchise last made the playoffs during the 2018 season, beating Seattle in the Wild Card round before losing to the LA Rams in the Divisional round. This marks only the fourth time in the last 12 seasons that Dallas will appear in the post-season.
This sporadic record of accomplishment is why owner Jerry Jones turned to Mike McCarthy 23 months ago. McCarthy failed to lead the Cowboys to the playoffs in his first, COVID-induced season as the team’s head coach, but the players have responded this time around.
Dallas carries a 10-4 record into Sunday night’s game with Washington. One victory in these final three regular season games will give the franchise it’s best record since it went 13-3 in ‘16.
Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday night from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.
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