Dallas Cowboys clinch 2021 NFC East title
Just days after the Dallas Cowboys clinched a playoff berth on Thursday night, the franchise’s first trip to the playoffs since 2018, they were able to take it a step further on Sunday and win the NFC East division crown.
The Cowboys have three more chances to improve heading into the big dance starting with a home contest against the Washington Football Team, then a home game against the Arizona Cardinals before concluding with an away game at the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas needed to win one — a win tonight would do — to clinch the NFC East. But thanks to the Las Vegas Raiders’ win over the Denver Broncos, the Cowboys were able to clinch the NFC East. Of course, neither the Raiders or Broncos are in the NFC East. However, the Eagles’ win over the Broncos, to whom the Cowboys had lost, could have served as a critical factor helping tiebreak the NFC East if it came down to it.
That tiebreaker won’t be needed anymore, given that the Cowboys were able to clinch sole possession of the division title. Interestingly, with the Cowboys’ latest accolade, a bizarre trend continued in the NFC East: 2021 marks the 17th consecutive season in which there has not been a repeat divison champion in the NFC East. No other NFL division has gone longer than three years without a team winning it in consecutive years.
The last time the Cowboys went to the playoffs was in 2018. Dallas finished the 2018 season with a 10-6 regular-season record and won the NFC East; in the first round of the playoffs, they faced the Seattle Seahawks, and they emerged in a narrow 24-22 fashion. The next round, however, the Cowboys lost in the divisional playoffs, 30-22, to the Los Angeles Rams.
“We had confidence that we’d check this box,” head coach Mike McCarthy said Friday after clinching a berth (they had not clinched the division title at the time), “but this is about winning the division outright and staying in the hunt for a higher seed.”
Now, the Cowboys can lay to rest that first goal, as they’ve clinched the NFC East. All that’s left is solidifying a higher seed.
Cowboys playoff push led by defense
In previous years, star quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver Amari Cooper have been the shining lights of the Cowboys team. This year, the trio is certainly playing up to par — Prescott has thrown for roughly 3,600 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, averaging 284 yards per contest; Elliott has been productive with 862 yards and nine touchdowns and has paired extremely well with Tony Pollard’s 676 yards and two touchdowns; and though Cooper’s 683 yards is second to CeeDee Lamb’s 940, the Cowboys receivers are pulling their weight.
Those three, however, have hardly been the highlight of the Cowboys to date, which has been elite defensively. Led by Micah Parsons, a rookie first-round pick out of Penn State, Dallas has had no trouble shutting down opposing offenses. Parsons has 76 total tackles (57 solo stops) lining up at linebacker and defensive end, while notching 12 sacks and three forced fumbles too. Furthermore, second-year Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs has had a historic season, totaling 10 interceptions through just 14 games.