On November 3, the Dallas Cowboys saw their postseason hopes all but disappear after falling to 3-5-1 with a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. But after adding Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson to the mix the day after that loss, America's Team actually got a little help in the standings during its Week 10 bye.
And once they returned to the field, the Cowboys made life a lot more interesting, earning victories over the Las Vegas Raiders, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in an 11-day stretch to up their record to 6-5-1, thus putting themselves right back in the playoff mix.
Despite the surge, however, Brian Schottenheimer & Co. still couldn't really afford to take a loss in their Week 15 matchup with the Detroit Lions this past Thursday night. But, of course, that's exactly what went down, as the Lions, who desperately needed a win of their own after losing three of five coming out of their Week 8 bye, dominated the game on every level, ultimately cruising to a 44-30 victory.
With the loss, the Cowboys saw their postseason probability odds take a significant hit. But with the Eagles suffering a third straight defeat on Monday night, Dallas isn't out of it just yet.
The Cowboys were thrown a lifeline by the Eagles on Monday night
Here's a look at the updated NFC playoff picture heading into Week 15. You'll obviously notice that only 11 of the 16 teams in the conference are listed, as the Atlanta Falcons (4-9), Arizona Cardinals (3-10), New Orleans Saints (3-10), Washington Commanders (3-10), and New York Giants (2-11) have all been officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Updated NFC playoff picture
- Los Angeles Rams (10-3, 1st NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-3-1, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-5, 1st NFC East)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-3, 2nd NFC West)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (9-4, 2nd NFC North)
- Detroit Lions (8-5, 3rd NFC North)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6, 2nd NFC South)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8, 4th NFC North)
As you can see, with the Cowboys now sitting four games in the win column behind the fifth-seeded Seattle Seahawks and three games behind in the win column to both the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers and the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears, securing a wild-card spot is basically out the window.
But even at 6-6-1, the NFC East is still within reach for Dallas, as Philly dropped to 8-5 with the loss to the Chargers on Monday Night Football. The issue is the schedule.
The Cowboys still have their own Week 16 date with the Chargers, but none of their other three opponents have more than five wins right now, as they've got the Vikings this Sunday, the Commanders in Week 17, and the Giants in Week 18. So, overall, they've got one of the easiest remaining schedules in the entire NFL.
But the problem is that the Eagles have it even easier. This Sunday, the Birds will host the Raiders, who have two wins all year and haven't tasted victory since an October 12 win over the Tennessee Titans. Philly also has both matchups to play against the Commanders, with the first in Week 16 and the second in Week 18. The Eagles do have to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 17, so it'll be interesting to see where things stand at that time.
If the Cowboys can win out to finish 10-6-1, they'll need the Eagles to go 2-2 the rest of the way to finish 10-7. So, Dallas will undoubtedly need that win from Buffalo and at least one upset in there from either Las Vegas or Washington.