When the Dallas Cowboys suffered a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9 to fall to 3-5-1 for the season, it's safe to assume that most fans of America's Team had given up hope on a trip to the NFL Playoffs.
But coming out of their Week 10 bye, Brian Schottenheimer's squad found a little life, first earning an emphatic 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, then following up with a historic 24-21 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, and then taking down the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day by a score of 31-28, thus upping their record to a much more respectable 6-5-1. And when the Eagles fell to 8-4 with a loss to the Chicago Bears on Black Friday, not only was a playoff berth within reach, but the NFC East title seemed like a very real possibility as well.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, however, they failed to keep the momentum going, as they suffered a crushing 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions to kick off Week 14 on Thursday Night Football. However, the Eagles threw them a little lifeline by losing to the Los Angeles Chargers a few days later on Monday Night Football. This past Sunday, though, the air went out of the sails, as Philly upped its record to 9-5 with a 31-0 shutout of the Raiders, while Dallas was once again embarrassed in a 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, falling to 6-7-1.
As such, the Cowboys, who were officially eliminated from wild-card contention with the loss to the Vikes, now need a miracle to win the NFC East. And for that miracle to happen, they're going to need a lot of help from an old friend, that being none other than their former defensive coordinator and current head coach of the Washington Commanders, Dan Quinn.
Cowboys need Dan Quinn's Commanders to beat the Eagles twice in the next three weeks to have any chance at the NFC East
The Cowboys legitimately have one single path to winning the NFC East: win out and have the Eagles lose out. That's it.
Dallas doing its part isn't completely out of the question, but it would mean beating a 10-4 Los Angeles Chargers team this weekend. And after Matt Eberflus' defense made J.J. McCarthy look like Joe Montana this past Sunday, it's actually a little frightening to think about what Justin Herbert could do to that secondary.
But if the Cowboys' offense is clicking, you just never know. And after this week, Dallas gets the Commanders on Christmas Day and then the New York Giants in Week 18. So, those are two winnable games.
The problem is that the Eagles still have both of their matchups with Washington remaining, with the first set for this Sunday and the second scheduled for Week 18. There is a Week 17 matchup with the Buffalo Bills sandwiched in there, but that game might not end up mattering.
RELATED: Cowboys have a big Brian Schottenheimer problem (and Brandon Aubrey might be to blame)
Quinn's Commanders, of course, were expected to do big things this season after a surprising 2024 campaign that saw them reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991, which left the Cowboys as the only team in the conference without an appearance in the conference title game this century.
But with second-year signal-caller Jayden Daniels missing half the season with various injuries and a dreadful defense, which is obviously surprising, given who the head coach is, Washington has gone just 4-10 thus far, with that fourth win coming this past Sunday against the Giants to snap an eight-game losing streak.
And Daniels won't be suiting up against the Eagles either time, as he's been officially shut down for the season, leaving the Cowboys to rely on Marcus Mariota for help. The veteran has had some solid games this season, but Dallas would certainly feel a lot better about things if Daniels were taking the snaps.
Now, if the Commanders can battle the Eagles the way they did the Denver Broncos in Week 13, ultimately taking a 27-26 loss in overtime, the Cowboys could be in business, provided they take care of their own matters, of course. It's worth noting, of course, that one week later, Washington took a 31-0 shutout loss to Minnesota.
Rivalry games are always a tossup, and the Commanders may honestly be able to win one of them. But both? Yeah, that's probably not happening. But we now just wait and see how things play out.