Cowboys Schedule 2018: Games With Saints, Eagles, Colts Will Decide Dallas' Playoff, NFC East Hopes

The Dallas Cowboys control their own destiny as they close out the 2018 NFL season and try to make the playoffs. The team faces a difficult schedule over the next few weeks that could ultimately determine whether or not they win the NFC East.

In Week 13, Dallas hosts the New Orleans Saints in what might be their toughest test of the year. They’ll follow that up with an important divisional matchup at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys will go on the road in Week 15 to play the surging Indianapolis Colts.

The schedule gets easier in the season’s final two weeks when the Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and visit the New York Giants. Neither game is a guaranteed victory, but the two teams have seven total wins and are well out of the postseason race.

New Orleans has been virtually unbeatable since losing the season opener, going 10-0 with seven victories by double digits. Because Philadelphia hosts the Washington Redskins and Dallas in consecutive weeks, they’ve got a chance to take control of the NFC East with a two-game winning streak. Indianapolis is on a five-game winning streak.

Dallas is tied atop the NFC East at 6-5 with Washington, though their win over Washington gave the Cowboys the tiebreaker. The Philadelphia Eagles are a game behind the two teams with a 5-6 record. The Cowboys have already beaten the Eagles in Philadelphia, and a win for Dallas in Week 14 could effectively eliminate the defending champs from contention in the NFC East.

It’s certainly possible that the Cowboys can fail to win the division but still earn a wild-card berth. The Redskins enter Week 13 as the NFC’s No.6 seed.

The Cowboys are 23d in points scored and third in points allowed. Ezekiel Elliott has more rushing yards than anyone. Dak Prescott is 21st in passer rating among quarterbacks that qualify.

Before beating the Redskins on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys were 0-4 against teams that currently have a winning record. Four of Dallas' six wins have come against teams that have four wins or fewer this season.

The Redskins and Eagles face each other two more times to close the regular season. Washington doesn’t have a winning team left on their schedule. Philadelphia has to face both the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans, who are combined 14 games over .500.