Having clinched home-field advantage in the NFC, the Cowboys will have a first-round bye and play in the divisional round against one of five teams. Staff writer Todd Archer takes a look at the potential opponents.
Tampa Bay (9-6)
The Buccaneers, winners of the NFC South, are the fourth seed. If Tampa Bay wins its wild-card game, it will make its third playoff trip to Texas Stadium.
Jeff Garcia has had success against the Cowboys. Joey Galloway is one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NFL. And Tampa Bay's defense is No. 2 in the league. This is not the team the Cowboys and Tony Romo ripped apart last year on Thanksgiving, 38-10.
New York Giants (10-5)
The Giants are locked into the fifth seed. If they can beat the Buccaneers, and Seattle, the third seed, wins its game, then New York will face the Cowboys for the third time this season.
In the first two meetings, Tony Romo threw eight TD passes and two interceptions in wins of 45-35 to open the year and 31-20 at Giants Stadium. New York is without TE Jeremy Shockey and RB Derrick Ward, but it does possess a strong pass rush.
Washington (8-7)
The Redskins can clinch the final wild-card spot with a win against the Cowboys. They can create a third meeting by knocking off Seattle in the wild-card round.
Playing with heavy hearts after the death of Sean Taylor, the Redskins are playing their best football of the season, even with backup QB Todd Collins. With RB Clinton Portis and an attacking defense, Washington can pull the upset.
Minnesota (7-8)
The Vikings need to beat Denver and have Washington lose to the Cowboys to make the postseason. Then they would need to win in Seattle to create a rematch with the Cowboys.
Palestine native Adrian Peterson leads the NFC with 1,305 rushing yards and had 63 yards at Texas Stadium in October on just 12 carries. The game-changing moment was a blocked field goal attempt that Patrick Watkins returned 68 yards for a touchdown.
New Orleans (7-8)
To earn the No. 6 seed, the Saints have to win at Chicago and then have the Redskins and Vikings lose. Then New Orleans would have to win at Seattle for coach Sean Payton to return to
Texas Stadium.
New Orleans exposed the Cowboys late last season, and Drew Brees has been a different QB after the 0-4 start. Of course, the Saints struggle to run the ball, and their defense is ranked 29th, 30th against the pass. That would seem to be the right recipe for Tony Romo.
