Playoffs or NFL Draft position: Which should matter more to the Cowboys?

Every NFL team enters the season dreaming of the playoffs and a run to the Super Bowl. Realistically, only a few have a legitimate shot at making those dreams come true. For the Dallas Cowboys, this season was virtually automatic in terms of at least qualifying for the postseason.

However, after 12 games, the Cowboys are 5-7 and in serious jeopardy of not making the playoffs. It’s at this point that being truly realistic comes into play. With seven losses and five games remaining, the Cowboys’ odds of making the playoffs are about four percent. So, the question must be asked if Dallas should be more concerned with a playoff run or draft position at this time.

Playoff potential

The odds are slim but the Cowboys aren’t mathematically eliminated from postseason contention just yet. This could be one reason we haven’t seen much of Trey Lance following Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury. Cooper Rush gives this team the best chance at winning although he hasn’t played great. Despite that Dallas is on a two-game winning streak that has helped keep their season alive.

There is no more room for slip-ups in Big D if they want to make the playoffs this year and it seems they do. Two weeks ago, this was a 3-7 team that looked like they’d be in line for a top-five draft pick. Now they look rejuvenated as if they are hellbent on fighting until the end.

Cincinnati is the next opponent on deck for Dallas and they are also in a must-win situation so this should be a good game to close out Week 14 on Monday night. The Bengals come in 4-8 with even less chance (two percent) of making the playoffs than the Cowboys. Jerry’s world should be rocking on Monday as someone’s season will come to an end while the other continues the fight for a spot in the postseason.

Focus on the future

If you’re in the camp of the Cowboys looking forward and preparing for the draft, then you’re looking at the bigger picture. While an early pick in the first round is never a guarantee (i.e., Daniel Jones) for success, those five or six picks are highly coveted. Essentially this is where the top players in the draft are selected and when they pan out, you can wind up with a bonafide superstar leading your franchise for a decade or more.

Anyone on this side of the coin has probably convinced themselves that the Cowboys would only be one and done in the playoffs, anyway, were they to make it this year. They went one and done last year after winning 12 games and the NFC East crown. With all the struggles this season and no Prescott, this wouldn’t be a deep run at all. What’s the point of fighting to make when all you’re going to do is fall flat anyway? That’s the pessimistic Cowboys fan and they probably aren’t wrong.

But these players are competitors and in football tanking on purpose would be frowned upon. Players want to win. No veteran is on the side of losing games in order to draft their potential replacement. As the saying goes, the NFL stands for, Not For Long. Whether this team is good enough to win the next five games is one thing but the team collectively packing it in for draft position is doubtful.

The outcome

Although the Cowboys will come into this game against the Bengals as underdogs, adding a third consecutive win to their record wouldn’t be shocking since Cincy’s defense has been just about as awful as Dallas’s. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has played out of his mind this season yet his team has just four wins. So, the Cowboys should have a chance if they can protect the ball and muster up the same effectiveness in the running game as they did last week.

Running back Rico Dowdle rushed for a career-high against the New York Giants on Thanksgiving. If he can produce a similar type of game Monday night the Cowboys’ playoff hopes could be alive for at least another week. Dallas’ toughest remaining matchups come in Week’s 17 and 18 against Washington and Philadelphia.

Washington could be fighting for wild card position and Philly could be scrapping for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If that’s the case these teams likely won’t be resting any key players making the Cowboys’ uphill battle even tougher. This season has been a wash pretty much from the start. The Cowboys have so many holes that need filling beginning with that offensive line, it just isn’t funny.

Making four consecutive playoff appearances would be great but fans expect more than just qualifying in Dallas. They’ve got no real shot at making a miraculous run so a better position in the draft would be much better moving forward. But of course, the Cowboys will probably make things interesting over the next few weeks and end the season with a pick somewhere in the middle of the first round. That’s the Cowboys' way of doing things in Jerry’s world.