NFL standings 2016: Cowboys clinch playoff spot, Bucs move into NFC race

It must’ve been nice being a member of the Cowboys on Sunday. All they had to do was sit back, watch the Giants (8-4) fall to the Steelers and start popping champagne as the first team to clinch a playoff spot.

With Dallas (11-1) having defeated Minnesota 17-15 on Thursday Night Football earlier this week, there wasn’t much else for the team to do while the rest of the NFC East battled it out. The Giants’ 24-14 loss won’t hurt too bad for the moment, however. New York still remains in the playoff picture as the No. 5 seed — same as last week. It’s just that things wouldn’t stay so lucky for the rest of the division.

Washington (6-5-1) saw its playoff spot vanish after the Cardinals (5-6-1) surged ahead in the fourth quarter for a 31-23 victory in Arizona. As it stands, Kirk Cousins and Co. have a bit of work to do in the final four weeks.

Yet they still didn’t have the worst day of any NFC East team. That title would go to the Philadelphia Eagles (5-7), who were in the hunt last week, but with a 32-14 drubbing in Cincinnati (4-7-1) have all but taken themselves out of the postseason race. The Eagles didn’t manage to score until late in the third quarter, when they were already down by 29 points.

Taking the place of Washington as the sixth seed is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5) — and their resume impressive. With wins over the Falcons, Chiefs and Seahawks, the Bucs have proven they can hang with the powerhouse teams. But they’ve also lost to the Rams, Broncos and Cardinals, including a 40-7 blowout in Week 2 to Arizona.

Tampa ended up splitting its series with Atlanta (7-5), which still owns first place in the NFC South and the No. 4 in the playoffs after falling to the Chiefs (9-3) at home, 29-28. The Bucs, who face the Saints (5-7) in Week 14, have a tougher test next week than the Falcons do. Atlanta gets to take on Los Angeles (4-8), but then again, you never know what the Rams are going to do.

So the Buccaneers’ postseason dreams aren’t secure, but after four wins in a row and a 28-21 victory in San Diego on Sunday, they have moved off the bubble and into the action.

While the Falcons and Bucs are tied atop the NFC South, the Panthers are all but out of the race after they were routed by the Seahawks on Sunday night. Seattle, which is sitting at 8-3-1, has basically, but not officially, locked up the NFC West.

The Lions’ (8-4) victory in New Orleans (5-7) keeps them right were they were last week as the No. 3 seed, but it gives them much needed distance from the Vikings (6-6) and Packers (6-6) in the NFC North.

Just outside: Washington (6-5-1), Minnesota Vikings (6-6), Green Bay Packers (6-6), Arizona Cardinals (5-6-1)