We all love the Playoff Machine this time of year, but the New York Giants' victory Sunday night over the Dallas Cowboys has muddied the picture instead of clarifying it. With three weeks left to play, there are still 32 possible different combinations of Cowboys-Giants results. Because I had nothing better to do, I ran all 32 of them through the playoff machine to see what would happen if each came to pass.
I also had to factor in the Philadelphia Eagles who, unlike the Washington Redskins, were not mathematically eliminated Sunday. Keep in mind: The overarching requirement for the Eagles to win the East is that they must win all three of their remaining games. If they do not do that, they have no chance, because they'll be no better than 7-9 and either the Giants or Cowboys (because they play each other in Week 17) will win at least eight. Also, if the Giants and Cowboys both win next week, the Eagles are eliminated no matter what happens. So it's precarious for the preseason favorites.
But if you assume the Eagles win their last three games, there are five of the 32 different Cowboys-Eagles results that would make the Eagles champs. For that reason, I ran a total of 37 scenarios. I ran the 32 different Cowboys-Giants results that presumed three Eagles wins, and then I gave the Eagles a Week 15 loss to the Jets and ran those five in which they'd previously been champs through again.
If you don't want to get too deep into this, you should keep this in mind: If either the Giants or Cowboys win their final three games, that team will win the division outright. There are other simple scenarios, too. If either team wins its next two while the other loses its next two, for example, the former team would win the division before the Jan. 1 rematch even happens. If the Giants win either of their next two games and beat the Cowboys in Week 17, they win the division.
But if it gets more complicated than that (and at this point, don't we all expect that it will), well here are all 37 scenarios, sorted into groups according to possible Week 15 results.
IF THE GIANTS AND COWBOYS BOTH WIN IN WEEK 15 ...
...and they also both win in Week 16 and the Giants win the Week 17 rematch, the Giants are division champs.
...and they also both win in Week 16 and the Cowboys win the Week 17 rematch, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 but the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
IF THE GIANTS WIN AND THE COWBOYS LOSE IN WEEK 15...
...and they both win in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and they both win in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 but the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 but the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16, the Cowboys win in Week 17 and the Eagles finish 3-0, the Eagles are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16, the Cowboys win in Week 17 and the Eagles do not finish 3-0, the Cowboys are division champs.
IF THE COWBOYS WIN AND THE GIANTS LOSE IN WEEK 15...
...and they both win in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and they both win in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 but the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 but the Giants win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 but the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17 and the Eagles finish 3-0, the Eagles are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17 and the Eagles do not finish 3-0, the Giants are division champs.
IF THE COWBOYS AND GIANTS BOTH LOSE IN WEEK 15...
...and they both win in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and they both win in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16, the Cowboys win in Week 17 and the Eagles finish 3-0, the Eagles are division champs.
...and the Giants win and the Cowboys lose in Week 16, the Cowboys win in Week 17 and the Eagles do not finish 3-0, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 but the Giants win in Week 17, the Giants are division champs.
...and the Cowboys win and the Giants lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17, the Cowboys are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17 and the Eagles finish 3-0, the Eagles are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Cowboys win in Week 17 and the Eagles do not finish 3-0, the Cowboys are division champs
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17 and the Eagles finish 3-0, the Eagles are division champs.
...and they both lose in Week 16 and the Giants win in Week 17 and the Eagles do not finish 3-0, the Giants are division champs.
So, a couple of notes:
The Cowboys' game against the Eagles in Week 16 is basically more important than their game against the Buccaneers in Week 15. This is because the Eagles are a common opponent between the Giants and Cowboys while the Buccaneers are not. Should the Cowboys lose to the Eagles while the Giants beat the Redskins and Jets, the Giants would claim the No. 3 division tiebreaker by virtue of a better record than Dallas in games against common opponents.
If the Eagles win their next two games, the Cowboys lose to the Bucs next week and the Giants lose to Washington and the Jets, the Eagles would clinch the division with a Week 17 victory over the Redskins regardless of the Giants-Cowboys result.
There's more, but I'm about spent. This really should be enough for you guys to chew on while I fly home and nap on the plane.