It appears the Cowboys are most likely to play the Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Vikings, Panthers, Eagles and Redskins (not really) remain outside possibilities. Which opponent would the Cowboys prefer to play?
David Moore: If the Cowboys finish as the No. 4 seed Seattle is all but assured to be the opponent. Would they rather face another team to open the postseason? Sure. You want to face the softest opponent possible in the first step to the Super Bowl because you know how much more difficult the road will get before you're done. But here's a novel idea. The best way to face a weaker opponent is to rise in the standings. Dallas shouldn't give up on trying to pass Chicago for the No. 3 seed. The Bears finish with two division games -- Green Bay and Minnesota -- and San Francisco. If the Cowboys run the table a No. 3 seed isn't out of the question. That would build momentum and allow them to replace the Seahawks in the first round with a weaker opponent. Who is the preference then? It doesn't matter.
Brandon George: After Seattle's win Monday night over Minnesota, it appears likely the Cowboys will get a rematch against the Seahawks in the playoffs. But the team they'd rather face is Minnesota. The Vikings are headed in the wrong direction and just fired their offensive coordinator Tuesday. They have a lot of problems on offense. Even Carolina, Philadelphia and Washington shouldn't be too concerning for the Cowboys. The Cowboys have struggled more this season against mobile quarterbacks, with losses already to Seattle and Carolina. You'd rather see the Cowboys face more of a pocket passer.
Jon Machota: The Vikings would be No. 1. (Sorry, I've already counted the Redskins out. If they made it, they'd be my pick.) The Vikings are struggling. They just fired their offensive coordinator. They've lost three of their last four and four of their last six. They have Kirk Cousins, easily the QB the Cowboys would prefer to face over Cam Newton and Russell Wilson. The mobile QB has been a problem for Dallas. Cousins has played seven games against the Cowboys in his career. He's won one. Then there's the Eagles. Nobody really wants to have to beat a team three times in one season. I understand it happened in 2009, but that seems like something you'd like to avoid. Also, the 2009 Eagles weren't coming off a Super Bowl season.
Kate Hairopoulos: The Cowboys would love to climb over the Chicago Bears to claim the third seed in the NFC and meet one of those teams currently trying to back into the sixth and final playoff spot, such as the Panthers or Vikings, in the Wild Card round. That's preferable to a rematch with the surprising Seahawks, who are 8-3 over their last 11 games. The Cowboys have figured out a lot of things since they lost, 24-13, at Seattle on Sept. 23. And this game would be at AT&T Stadium instead of CenturyLink Field. But the way Pete Carroll has the Seahawks playing means no one is going to want to see them in the playoffs. There may be no escaping it. The confounding Panthers or Vikings would be better for Dallas than Philly -- as we all know, it's hard to beat a team three times in a season, much less a hated rival.
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