Are the Cowboys cooked in the NFC playoff race?

The Dallas Cowboys are headed down the path of no return. After starting the season 3-2, Dallas has dropped four in a row and has not been the most competitive in those games. As we’ve already crossed the halfway point of the 2024 campaign, the legitimacy of the Cowboys’ playoff chances have come into question.

What happened to the Dallas Cowboys?

Simply put, after the past few years of regular season success, Jerry Jones ignored some of the issues and decided to run it back one more time. There were opportunities to make significant upgrades, like signing Derrick Henry in the offseason, knowing the running game had been struggling already.

However, Jones opted to keep the team intact, bringing back much of the same roster from last season that couldn’t get it done in the postseason. He must’ve thought 12 wins were guaranteed after achieving that number in the past three campaigns. The Cowboys may not get to half those wins this year.

Dallas is a madhouse of chaos with a lack of production, injuries, questionable coaching and players spilling the beans about the team when it isn’t even necessary. There isn’t much going right for the Cowboys and it all starts with culture which has been a huge question mark for a long time.

"These are the things that you need to eliminate from your culture, and just like anything, conversations bring resolution, and I think this is an example of that.”

The Cowboys could turn things around

‘Could’ is the keyword here. Lots of things could happen but the better question is whether they will. When it comes to Dallas flipping this season around there might be a better chance of Jones actually sitting back and shutting the hell up for a change. That’s pretty much out of the picture just like the Cowboys playoff prospects.

Realistically, the Cowboys can likely only lose two more games the rest of the way to have a legitimate shot at making the postseason. They’ve got six losses through nine games and their next two are against Washington and Houston. It would almost be shocking if Dallas won either of these games, which highlights how far they’ve fallen.

Dallas has Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Philly and another showdown with Washington left on the schedule. The only two games left on the schedule where the Cowboys could be seen as favorites against the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.  That’s how bad it is for Jerry and his Cowboys.

One of the biggest discussions in Dallas this week is how Jones needs to do something to block out the sunlight at AT&T Stadium. All this stemmed from a failed touchdown pass where CeeDee Lamb claimed he couldn’t see the ball due to the sun. Lamb isn’t wrong about the sun but these are the types of shenanigans this team becomes enthralled with after losing to the Eagles 34-6. And in Jones’ usual stubborn old man fashion, he’ll have none of it.

"Every venue has certain things that at certain ways and times in the contest can create an advantage," Jones said. "That really goes on the category of home-field advantage. ... I don't want to adjust it for one reason because it is an advantage for us."

Rally time or tank time?

Anyone who’s watched at least a few quarters of Cowboys football this season knows there isn’t much fight left in this team. We’re already hearing rumblings about Dallas throwing in the towel to be in a position to select Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft next spring.

So, NO, the Cowboys will not make the playoffs for several reasons. That list is long and would take all day to jot down. No more Dak Prescott (had season-ending surgery Wednesday), no running game, they can’t stop the run defensively and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Head coach Mike McCarthy is running this team without a contract essentially which means he’s likely to be DOA as soon as the season is over.

This season has been a complete failure and it’s over. At 3-6 the Cowboys aren’t mathematically eliminated but going off what we know and how they’ve played, not even a miracle could get this squad back on track by the end of December. It’s time to pack it in and get ready for next year and hope this franchise looks a lot different on the field.