For the second consecutive season, the Dallas Cowboys will be at home as NFL Wild Card weekend begins. Though the team improved from a 7-10 record to 7-9-1 with notable contributors under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer, clear deficiencies on defense plagued the Dak Prescott-led team from returning to the postseason for the first time since 2023.

Owner Jerry Jones already checked the most required box on his to-do list to begin the offseason by firing defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. The front office will now conduct a series of interviews with various candidates league-wide, in addition to addressing the expiring player contracts of key starters that make free agency crucial.

For now, the Cowboys can breathe freely knowing that they have one of the best players at the most important position in Prescott. The 10-year starter nearly led the NFL in passing yards and completed a fully-healthy campaign at 32 years old - which to him is a major accomplishment.

"Nothing - apart from what we've done so far this season - gives me anything but optimism about going forward at one of the key, if not the key position, quarterback," Jones said.

Prescott and his 2-5 postseason record will remain at home as the calendar shifts to January. Jones concluded his end-of-season press conference with a vow to never retire from his post until he owns the most Super Bowl victories of any owner.

His three are halfway to tying the Patriots Robert Kraft. New England is the No. 2 seed in the AFC this year with the likely MVP pursuing the franchise's seventh Lombardi.

Jones, who will turn 84 in the fall, has a long way to go.

In the meantime, his team watches as the NFL Playoffs begin with the Wild Card round this weekend.

Draft pick implications make one team easy to root against, but we can't find many other reasons grumpy Dallas might be rooting for anybody this postseason.

Saturday Jan. 10:

No. 5 Los Angeles Rams at No. 4 Carolina Panthers

People online have began comparing the early career arc of Dak Prescott to that of Dallas native Matthew Stafford.

Stafford spent years putting up gaudy statistics in Detroit that ultimately fell flat because the Lions lost a lot. It wasn't until he was moved to the Rams that he found the postseason success that had always alluded him, which has since propelled him into future Hall of Fame candidacy.

Could Dak one day see a similar fortune that turns around his career reputation?

Cowboys fans would hate to see Prescott play elsewhere - and it remains incredibly unlikely - but the comparison of trajectories is sound through the start of their careers.

For that reason, the Rams success with Stafford stings Cowboys fans who buy into that potential future for Dak.

As for Carolina, the Panthers carry a losing record into the playoffs with former Cowboy Rico Dowdle charging the rushing attack. Dallas surely would like to play their games in the porous NFC South if it could.

No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Chicago Bears

It won't be easy for the Cowboys to root against the team that last knocked them out of the playoffs in the Packers, but sadly Micah Parsons won't be in action as he tore his ACL at the end of the year. Still, Dallas' second of two first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft is dictated by Green Bay's finish.

A loss is the best case scenario to pair with Dallas' No. 12 pick.

The Bears are having a fine turnaround under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, who Dallas somehow did not interview when he was the next hot candidate before hiring Schottenheimer. Whether Johnson would've been able to have this success or not with "America's Team" is another story, but in terms of them potentially losing in the first round, it could land another coach in Dallas.

Chicago's defensive backs coach Al Harris is a Cowboys disciple who is now a major name in Jerry Jones' coordinator search. He was swiped of a promotion last year which sent him to the Windy City, but this offseason would spark a reunion if both sides come to an agreement after the postseason.

Sunday Jan. 11:

No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Cowboy Jourdan Lewis, now in Duval County, said it was "all love" when Jones recently admitted regret for how Dallas lost the slot cornerback in free agency this spring. As another Cowboys Ex shines in the postseason, it's also another first-year head coach in Liam Coen that has out-performed other rookie coaches like Schottenheimer that make these playoffs frustrating to watch.

And in speaking of former Cowboys, 11 of the 14 playoff teams include a player who used to play in Dallas. DeMarcus Lawrence (Seattle), Trevon Diggs (Green Bay), Dalton Schultz and Damone Clark (Houston), Eric Kendricks (San Francisco), Deuce Vaughn (Denver), Trey Lance, (LA Chargers) and Brandin Cooks (Buffalo) are in addition to some of the one's we've already named.

No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2 New England Patriots

Kraft and the Pats aim for a seventh title that would grow their NFL lead as second-year quarterback Drake Maye looks to cap what is likely an MVP campaign. The Chargers, who like many teams throughout this list beat Dallas in 2025, ended the season with a string of wins to make the postseason.

Their Week 18 loss to division rival Denver landed the Broncos the No. 1 seed. Denver's bye into the Divisional Round is worth watching as assistant head coach and pass-game coordinator Jim Leonhard is a legit DC option should he decide to leave Mile High for a promotion.

No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles

This one shouldn't be hard to justify hate-watching both ways.

Dallas' two longest-standing rivals carry similar records into the Wild Card, but closed the year in opposite fashion. Philly began slipping toward the end of the schedule during reports of a toxic locker room environment, while San Fran won six of its last seven games and came up 10 points short of the No. 1 seed, losing to Seattle in Week 18.

Former Dallas coach Jason Garrett said on his NBC broadcast last week that he picks the Eagles to defend their Super Bowl championship and go back-to-back.

If you were to probe Cowboys Nation, they might ask if both of teams could lose.