At 8-6, Tampa is currently ranked as the No. 3 seed in the NFC and would host Green Bay in a first-round game. But the Buccaneers are still far from certain of their playoff spot; In the NFC South, they are just one game ahead of the Falcons at 7-7, who would get a tiebreaker this season if Atlanta beats the Bucs. Tampa is guaranteed to win the division and make the playoffs if it wins its last three games – and all three of those opponents have a losing record – but one slip-up could cost them.

For Dallas, there is also uncertainty about what lies ahead. Coach Mike McCarthy is 48-33 overall and 1-3 in the playoffs with two NFC East titles in five seasons with the Cowboys, but his contract expires after this season. Cowboys players, including star defenseman Micah Parsons, have publicly advocated for McCarthy to return in 2025

Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ vice president of personnel, said after league meetings last week that McCarthy did an “outstanding” job of keeping Dallas in the playoffs, albeit weakly, through last month’s mini-turnaround. Jones said a decision on McCarthy’s future would require a broader view.

“When you own/manage a football team, you look at everything. It would be irresponsible not to,” Jones said of considering the team’s injuries when evaluating McCarthy’s job performance. “I know our fans and opponents don’t pay attention to everything, but we do.”

It was either boom or bust in Tampa this season. The Buccaneers were a team that every opponent wanted to play against in October. But they’ve been in full swing ever since. Since losing four games in a row and falling to 4-6, the Bucs have done this won four games in a row, and tonight that can be extended to five wins in a row for the first time since 2016. This is Tampa’s final road game of the regular season.

Despite losing starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury in November, the Cowboys are on the verge of a turnaround tonight. Since falling behind to 3-7, the Cowboys have won three of their last four games and are 6-8 entering today’s game.