Aside from a couple teams that never drifted far from the top of the divisional or conference standings, the NFC was far wider open this season than many football fans and pundits had predicted.
The defending Super Bowl champion L.A. Rams were riddled with injuries and came nowhere close to sniffing the playoffs and forming a dynasty, while Green Bay and defending back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers missed the post-season for the first time in the Matt LaFleur era, and not a single team in the NFC South finished above .500 much to the chagrin of non-playoff teams Detroit and Washington that had better records than Tampa.
It took Philadelphia three tries to officially clinch the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, but the Eagles locked up top spot and are resting up while the six teams below duke it out.
With the San Francisco 49ers’ dominant victory over the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants’ shocking upset against the Minnesota Vikings, here’s a look at the final game slated for Super Wild Card Weekend.
COWBOYS (5) @ BUCCANEERS (4) | Monday 8:15 p.m. ET
How Dallas got here: Thanks in part to Cooper Rush, Dallas’s playoff hopes never wavered despite a big injury to their starting QB. The team’s backup admirably went 4-1 filling in for Dak Prescott after Prescott sustained an injury in the season opener against these Bucs. The dual-threat rushing attack of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott, plus CeeDee Lamb’s career year was the catalyst for the Cowboys’ high-scoring offence.
How Tampa Bay got here: By the skin of their teeth, really. They were kings of the NFC’s worst division, limping their way to a home playoff game despite never winning more than two in a row and having the league’s 32nd-ranked rushing attack. This team does know how to win low-scoring games and is healthier now than they were earlier in the season.
Storyline to watch: Are stars aligning for Brady and Bucs?
Despite the Cowboys having four more wins than the Bucs they are the ones that had to hit the road thanks to the NFC South being so lousy in the regular season. Not only do they not have home-field advantage, Dallas went 4-4 on the road while the Bucs might’ve finished below .500 but five of the team’s eight wins were at home. Tom Brady, who typically plays his best in the playoffs, is a perfect 7-0 in his career against the Cowboys. Mike Evans is coming off his ninth consecutive 1,000-yard season after posting 203 yards and three TDs in the division-clinching game vs. Carolina.
Matchup to watch: The turnover battle
Both quarterbacks enter this game having thrown several multiple-interception games down the stretch. Brady had plenty of uncharacteristic outings this season but the future Hall of Famer lit up the Panthers Week 17 to remind the NFC exactly what he’s still capable of. Dak Prescott, meanwhile, has thrown a pick in seven straight games and has three interceptions in four career playoff games.