Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys are first team to clinch playoff berth thanks to Redskins' loss

Published Dec. 9, 2016 12:56 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t play Sunday, but that doesn’t mean they had nothing to celebrate. Dallas clinched a playoff berth after the Redskins’ 31-23 loss to the Cardinals.

The Cowboys, who are riding a franchise-record 11-game win streak, have bounced back from a 4-12 season, enjoying an NFL-best 11-1 mark. Dallas is the first team this season to punch its ticket to the postseason.

Rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have received much of the praise for the Cowboys’ remarkable turnaround. The duo has injected life into an offense that has been dynamic despite not having Tony Romo, who suffered a back injury in the preseason that forced him to miss most of the year.

Dallas, which earned a comeback victory over the Vikings on Thursday, faces the Giants next Sunday with a chance to clinch the NFC East with a win.