The Cowboys found themselves in the playoffs late Sunday afternoon without lifting a finger.

That's because the heavy lifting came before the bulk of games kicked off in Week 13.

The inevitable became official when Washington lost. With four weeks left in the regular season, the Cowboys become the first NFL team to nail down a spot in the postseason.

An 11-game winning streak has its privileges.

The Cowboys own the league's best record at 11-1. Gaining entry into the playoffs is only the first step. Dallas is in position to earn a first-round bye and have home field advantage leading up to Super Bowl LI.

Next up: a rematch with the New York Giants, the only team to beat the Cowboys this season. The Giants loss to Pittsburgh means the Cowboys can clinch the NFC East with a win in the Meadowlands next weekend.

Jason Garrett doesn't allow his team to look ahead. The Cowboys head coach is fond of saying his coaches and players don't live in that world.

The fact the Cowboys secured a playoff berth Sunday won't alter their approach.

PLAYOFFS. The journey continues. — Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) December 5, 2016

"I don't think there's any question about that,'' Garrett said Friday afternoon. "We live in this world. I just think it's part of how we go about our day-to-day and our week-to-week operation.

"There's nothing preached more than just the importance of focus and focusing on the task at hand and focusing on us and how we can get better. It's part of our culture here with our football team. The coaches and players have bought into it and we just continue doing that.

"It's the best way to live.''

And now, for only the second time in the last seven seasons, the Cowboys will take part in the postseason.

That's the best way to live.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.