It wasn't all that long ago that the Dallas Cowboys had basically no shot to make the postseason after dropping to 3-5-1 with an embarrassing 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals to close out the Week 9 schedule on Monday Night Football.
Since then, however, things have certainly gotten much more interesting for America's Team. After getting a little help in the standings during their Week 10 bye, the Cowboys resumed play in Week 11 with an easy 33-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. In Week 12, after falling behind 21-0 to the rival Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas fought back to take a 24-21 win, thus matching the biggest comeback in franchise history.
And just this past Thursday, of course, Brian Schottenheimer's squad surpassed the .500 mark for the first time all season, improving to 6-5-1 with a 31-28 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Turkey Day also saw the Detroit Lions take a loss to the Green Bay Packers, moving Dallas closer to Detroit in the wild-card race, and the Cowboys can actually pass the Lions in the standings when the two meet next Thursday night to kick off Week 14.
And on Black Friday, the NFC-North leading Chicago Bears took down the Eagles, thus putting Dallas back into the mix in the NFC East race, which seemed unfathomable following the aforementioned loss to Arizona.
So, again, things have gotten much more interesting. Here's a look at the NFC playoff picture heading into the remainder of Week 13. You'll notice we've only included 10 teams here, as those in 11th place or worse have no real shot at a postseason berth, with one team, the New York Giants, already officially out of the mix.
- Los Angeles Rams (9-2, 1st NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (9-3, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-3, 1st NFC East)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-3, 2nd NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (8-3-1, 2nd NFC North)
- San Francisco 49ers (8-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Detroit Lions (7-5, 3rd NFC North)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Carolina Panthers (6-6, 2nd NFC South)
And now, let's have a look at the remaining games on the Week 13 slate that the Cowboys need to be watching closely.
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns
As the Cowboys are chasing the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card race, they'll obviously be hoping for the Cleveland Browns to pull off a major upset on Sunday afternoon.
A Browns victory would give the Niners five losses for the season, the same number the Cowboys have taken. And with San Francisco on a bye in Week 14, Dallas could make things really interesting by inching closer in the win column.
Arizona Cardinals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently sit atop the NFC South, they could easily fall into the wild-card race, as they're in a battle with the Carolina Panthers in the division race. So, Dallas would certainly be best served if Tampa takes a loss here.
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers
Speaking of the Panthers, they've got the toughest test of the week, as they play host to the red-hot Los Angeles Rams, who've won six straight and lead both the NFC West and the conference as a whole at 9-2.
And the Cowboys should be hoping for the Rams to extend that winning streak to seven, as a Carolina loss keeps Dallas in front of Carolina in the standings.
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
The Minnesota Vikings are out of the playoff race at 4-7, but the Seattle Seahawks obviously aren't at 8-3. So, the Cowboys will naturally be pulling for the Vikes to pull off the upset here.