Dallas Cowboys potential opponents in 2024 NFL playoffs

Cowboys are favored to be the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but there are many potential first-round opponents to consider.

The Dallas Cowboys entered Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season in line to be the No. 5 seed in the NFC. However, their narrow win over the Lions and the Eagles' stunning loss to the Cardinals changed the playoff picture.

As a result, Dallas is now favored to be the No. 2 seed in the NFC and is in complete control of its destiny as it looks to win the NFC East. Despite this, the Cowboys still have several seeding possibilities. If they slip up against the Commanders, they could fall to the No. 3 seed or even as low as No. 5. This makes it difficult to predict who their potential first-round opponent will be.

The bottom of the NFC wild-card race remains wide-open, so even if the Cowboys win, it's hard to say who their first-round opponent will be. There is still a lot to be sorted in the race for the No. 7 seed, so the Cowboys may have to wait for some of the other playoff games to end before the dust settles on the NFC playoff picture.

As the Cowboys draw closer to learning the schedule for wild-card weekend, the question remains: who might the Cowboys play in the 2024 NFL playoffs? Here's what to know about their potential opponents.

Entering Week 18, there are seven potential opponents the Cowboys could face in the 2024 NFL postseason. Below is a recap of those teams and which seed Dallas would have to be to potentially face each.

The Green Bay Packers appear to be the Cowboys' most likely opponent, as they control their destiny in the race for the No. 7 seed in the NFC. If the Cowboys, Packers, and Rams all win, then Dallas would square off with Green Bay in a 2 vs. 7 seed matchup. It's also possible that the Cowboys could drop to the No. 3 seed and still face the Packers, who move up to No. 6 with a win and a Rams loss.

The Los Angeles Rams are the other team that the Cowboys are likely to play if they remain in control of the NFC East. Los Angeles is locked into either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed, so provided that the Cowboys win their division, they will have a good chance to play the Rams for a second time this season.

If the Cowboys remain the No. 2 seed, they will play whichever team wins the battle for the No. 7 seed in the NFC. If the Packers slip up in a tough matchup against the Bears, the Seattle Seahawks may be able to scoot past them with a win over the Cardinals.

The Minnesota Vikings are facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs. That said, if they do, they will only be able to be the No. 7 seed. That will probably set them up with a date against the Cowboys.

The Cowboys will play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if and only if they fall behind the Eagles in the NFC East race and the Buccaneers win the NFC South. That would set up a second consecutive Cowboys-Buccaneers battle in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game in the NFC.

The New Orleans Saints can also win the NFC South in Week 18, so they could play the Cowboys in a 4 vs. 5 game. However, they can also sneak into the postseason as the No. 7 seed, so Dallas should be ready to face them either way.

The Atlanta Falcons have an outside chance to win the NFC South, as a win over the Saints and a Buccaneers loss to the Panthers would give them that division title. As such, there remains a chance -- however unlikely -- that the Cowboys could play them in the first round of the playoffs.

In terms of clinching scenarios, the Cowboys can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win and clinch the No. 3 seed with a loss. This puts them in a position of control as they head into Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season.