DALLAS — Mike McCarthy put a moratorium on talking about the playoffs until the Dallas Cowboys achieved 10 wins.
"You have to get to 10 wins," the Cowboys coach told reporters on Dec. 16. "It’s not a guarantee. I’m just saying. You have to get to 10 wins before you talk about it."
The Cowboys earned their 10th win of the regular season with a 21-6 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. Dallas hasn't clinched a playoff spot officially, but they are precipitously close and can sew up a spot as soon as Week 16.
Here are four takeaways from Dallas' 24th regular season sweep of their NFC East rival:
1. Is Dak Prescott still in a slump?
The two-time Pro Bowler didn't earn a nomination for the FedEx NFL Air Player of Week 15 with his performance against the Giants — 28-of-37 for 217 yards and a touchdown — but he didn't look as dysfunctional as he did a week ago in Washington.
Prescott's 98.6 passer rating on Sunday suggests an efficiency and caretaking with the football that was absent over the past two weeks, coupled with the back-to-back losses to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11 and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12, when the slump was being dissected.
The big plays aren't back, but Prescott's communication with his receivers seems to be better.
2. Tight end resurgence
Lost in all of the slump talk of recent weeks is the return of Dalton Schultz. The fourth-year tight end was having a productive start to the season by recording at least five catches and 45 yards in five of his first six games.
When Prescott injured his calf, Schultz disappeared. Since the Kansas City game, he has gotten back on track with at least five receptions in three of his past five games.
Schultz's touchdown with 2:03 to go in the third quarter was his first touchdown catch since Week 12 and his fifth of the year.
3. The Gallimore You Know
Missing the first 12 games of the regular season built upon a charge in defensive tackle Neville Gallimore to take it out on the rest of the league. By getting a sack last week, he already doubled his production from his rookie season of a half-sack.
However, Gallimore generating 2.5 sacks through his first two games back indicates that the defensive line is going to have a ferocious core over the next few weeks. Recall that rookie defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and third-year defensive tackle Trysten Hill were nixed due to being on the COVID-19 reserve list.
When Dallas gets them back, along with Gallimore in the rotation, the interior of the defensive line will be even better at controlling the line of scrimmage.
4. Honey Nut Scenarios
To make it simple, Dallas has to win out and finish 13-4; no goofing around with an extra loss or two. At 13-4, Dallas would relegate the Arizona Cardinals 12-5, presuming they won the rest of their games but lost to Dallas in the showdown scheduled for Week 17.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 10-4 following their loss to the New Orleans Saints. Perhaps the Bucs don't lose again with the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, and Panthers again on the schedule. They hold the tiebreaker over Dallas with the Week 1 victory. However, if the 11-3 Green Bay Packers take another loss over the next three weeks with games against the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions, Dallas, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay would all finish the season 13-4.
The tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed would come down to conference record, as that is how three-way ties are settled. Dallas would have one loss while the Packers and Buccaneers would have two or more. Bring on the bye.
Now that the Cowboys have 10 wins, do you think it’s time to start thinking about their playoff future? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.