Jan. 3, 2026, 9:11 a.m. CT
- By virtue of their Week 4 tie against the Packers, the Cowboys will have a better winning percentage than every other team with the same number of wins.
- The Cowboys will draft after any of those teams, so they are rooting for one final win for those clubs.
- There’s one game on Saturday, and six games on Sunday that can impact where Dallas drafts.
With the Dallas Cowboys’ season coming to an end on Sunday, there’s little left to be decided from the 2025 campaign save for draft positioning. With a record of 7-8-1, the team will not be able to finish above .500, but they are dealing with the uniqueness of having a tie on their record when it comes to draft picks. The Cowboys will draft after any team that has the same number of victories as they do, by virtue of having a better winning percentage.
That makes it pretty easy to determine how the team wants the rest of the league results to go down. Wether or not the club is more interested in getting a final win, or a better pick, the better pick means more draft capital and a choice of more players. So even if they defeat the Giants, they either don’t care about any of the below results, or absolutely want them to happen.
Saturday:Carolina Panthers (8-8) @ Tampa Bay Bucs (7-9)
If the Cowboys lose to the Giants and finish 7-9-1, then they want as many teams to have eight wins as humanly possible. If the Cowboys win, they’ll still draft ahead of any team that makes the playoffs, regardless of record. If the Cowboys finish 8-8-1, but the NFC South champ is 8-9, Dallas will still be ahead of them in the draft order. Root for the Buccaneers.
Sunday:New Orleans Saints (6-10) @ Atlanta Falcons (7-9) | Root for the Falcons.
Sunday:Indianapolis Colts (8-8) @ Houston Texans (11-5)
If the Cowboys end up beating the Giants and evening their record to 8-8-1, then they need as many teams to have nine or more wins as possible. Root for the Colts.
Sunday:Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
The Packers’ pick is primarily going to be determined by what round their playoff run ends. If they lose in the wild-card round, they will pick after every other team eliminated there who has the same or less wins than them. The Vikings meanwhile can guarantee having more wins than Dallas, so this is a double, Root for the Vikings.
Sunday:Detroit Lions (8-8) @ Chicago Bears (11-5) | Root for the Lions
Sunday: Miami Dolphins (7-9) @ New England Patriots (13-3) | Root for the Dolphins
Sunday:Baltimore Ravens (8-8) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) | Root for the Ravens
