At 5-8, the Dallas Cowboys are probably not going to be playing in the postseason for the fourth year in a row. Dallas had an opportunity to keep the dream a bit more alive with a win on Monday Night Football over the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, another one-score loss had the Bengals improving to 5-8, and America's Team dropping down to that mark. With four weeks left, are they out?
Not entirely... While it is mathematically impossible for the Cowboys to win the NFC East at this time, as they trail the hated Philadelphia Eagles by six games in the division, they can still somehow make it in as the third NFC Wild Card team. Right now, the division rival Washington Commanders occupy the No. 7 seed in the NFC with an 8-5 record. The best Dallas could realistically do is get the No. 7 seed.
Looking at their remaining schedule, Dallas has to beat the Carolina Panthers at home this week. They would also need to beat Washington at home to end the season. From there, they probably need to split with Tampa Bay at home and then Philadelphia on the road. In reality, Dallas can maybe afford a road loss to the Eagles, and that is about it. They need so much help to make the playoffs.
Keep in mind that Atlanta, New Orleans and San Francisco all own the head-to-head tiebreaker, too.
Dallas Cowboys playoff chances: Could America's Team still make it in?
While Dallas is not mathematically eliminated, the odds are not in the Cowboys' favor to make the playoffs. Assuming they could somehow get in as an 8-9 team, they need to root against teams like the Commanders, Falcons, 49ers and Saints, among so many other things. Having won the first meeting with Washington is a huge plus for the Cowboys, but that is all they have going for them.
Another loss, combined with a Commanders win would eliminate the Cowboys from the playoffs entirely. This is because Dallas can only get in as a wild card team. While they do not play the Green Bay Packers this year, I don't think it is worth wasting our time in thinking they could get the No. 6 seed by winning out and the Packers losing out. I want to keep this thing on the rails at this time.
Ultimately, Dallas' latest regular-season defeat has essentially sealed their fate. NFL.com is giving Dallas less than a one-percent chance of making the playoffs now. Although they are not officially eliminated from the playoffs just yet, they are well on their way. To put it as simply as I can, Dallas will be out after next week's game with a loss to Carolina and a Washington victory over New Orleans.
To date, the only NFC team that has been eliminated from the playoffs are the 2-11 New York Giants.