:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71770162/1448391612.0.jpg "NFL playoff picture: How Cowboys can win NFC East division title after Jalen Hurts injury")
The Dallas Cowboys clinched a playoff berth on Sunday evening when the New York Giants beat the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys blew a chance to clinch the spot on their own when they blew a 27-10 lead and lost in overtime to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they got help and have officially punched their ticket.
In losing to the Jaguars, Dallas dropped to three games back of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East race. With only three games remaining, that effectively locked up the division for the high-flying Eagles. But now the situation has changed. Quarterback Jalen Hurts injured his shoulder and could miss at least one game, if not more. He's uncertain to play on Saturday against the Cowboys, and Gardner Minshew would start in his place if he could not go. Subsequent reports suggest he could miss at least two games and possibly the rest of the regular season.
The Cowboys have moved from one-point favorites to six-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. A win cuts the Eagles lead to two games with two to go, but could Dallas come back and win the division if Hurts misses the rest of the regular season? Along with a win this Saturday, Dallas would need to beat the Titans and Commanders on the road in their final two games of the season. Additionally, they would need the Eagles to lose home games to the Saints and Giants to close out the season.
If that happened, they would each be 13-4 and have split their season series. The Cowboys would finish the season with a 5-1 division record while the Eagles would finish the season with a 3-3 division record. The division record is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head, which means the Cowboys would clinch the division based on that result.
NFC East division title odds are off the board right now, but we could see them pop back up now that things have gotten a little more interesting.