It all worked out perfectly for NFL fans when it comes to intriguing postseason matchups.
Matthew Stafford will return to the Motor City for the first time to face the Detroit Lions in a wild-card matchup next week. The Los Angeles Rams took the sixth seed in the NFC and punched their tickets to Detroit after defeating the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Football fans can thank Carson Wentz for producing a rally in Santa Clara, Calif., to give us Stafford vs. his former team in the playoffs.
Also, it’s fitting that the Dallas Cowboys will face the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. Aaron Rodgers’s Packers gave Dak Prescott and the Cowboys multiple postseason heartbreakers; Dallas has an opportunity to flip the script on the Jordan Love–led Packers.
The AFC matchups also took a chaotic turn after the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans, allowing three other teams to benefit.
Here’s what we learned from a busy Week 18 Sunday in the NFL.
Cowboys clinch NFC East while Eagles have disastrous Week 18
The Cowboys clinched their division and the NFC’s No. 2 seed after defeating the Washington Commanders, 38–10.
Dallas is now well positioned to make it past the divisional round for the first time in nearly three decades; if the Cowboys beat the Packers in an intriguing wild-card matchup next week, they could have two postseason home games. The Cowboys have a 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium, making this an ideal scenario for Prescott to finally go on a lengthy postseason run. It won’t be easy, but the Cowboys (12–5) are favored against the Packers (9–8) and could be the favorites against any team in the divisional round if they get that far. It’s now or never for Prescott and coach Mike McCarthy to make noise in the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, made noise for the wrong reasons during their final stretch of regular-season games. The Eagles were embarrassed in Sunday’s blowout loss against the New York Giants, handing them their fifth loss in the past six games. To make matters worse, A.J. Brown exited with a knee injury and Jalen Hurts was pulled after a finger injury. Regardless of whether the Eagles get positive news on Brown, it appears the defending NFC champions could be one-and-done next week, with a road wild-card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
