Cowboys' chances to turn around season won't get any easier with brutal 4-week stretch

Playing on Sunday Night Football always makes a game feel more important — ending the Sunday slate can lead to some fan overreactions whether their team wins or loses. But Cowboys fans acting like the season is over after falling to 3-4 with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on SNF might not be overreacting, especially with how brutal the Cowboys schedule is for the next month. Things aren't on track to get any better as we approach the midway point of the 2024 season.

The next four opponents for Dallas — Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston and Washington — have a combined 22-9 record this season and each one might have a legitimate case for a Super Bowl run. What does Dallas have? Wins against Cleveland and New York? That's not quite as inspiring.

Of course, the NFL changes so quickly from week to week, but the Cowboys' train is dangerously close to falling off the tracks completely, and a loss against a hot Falcons team next week might fully derail things. Dallas is already losing its grip on playoff hopes in a deep NFC so dropping to 3-5 might be too large of a hill to climb for Dak Prescott and company.

A 2-2 record over the next four seems like the best-case scenario, and even if that happens, the team would still be under .500 past the halfway point of the season. Based on what we've seen from Dallas the past two weeks — really the season as a whole — is anyone confident in the conductors of this team to keep things steady? We didn't think so.

What's been the problem this season — and specifically the past two weeks — that Dallas needs to fix before taking on a gauntlet in the next month?

The Dallas Cowboys defense has given up nearly 1000 yards in two weeks

Yeah, making opposing offenses look like the Miami Hurricanes isn't exactly a winning formula. Dallas has surrendered 961 yards of offense its past two games to Detroit and San Francisco, and considering that all four of the team's upcoming opponents are in the top ten of yards gained, that number might just keep ballooning as the season progresses. Kirk Cousins, Jalen Hurts, CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels are going to have a king's feast on this Cowboys defense.

There's not a ton to look forward to for Cowboys fans right now, we can't lie. But hey, drafting Ashton Jeanty in the first round could help fix the run game next year, right? Stop laughing! We're trying to be nice!