The Dallas Cowboys have won two games in a row and as a result have re-entered the playoff conversation. Maybe a better way to put this is to say that the playoff conversation doesn’t sound as silly around them as it did when they were 3-5-1. Winning cures all, as they say.
We have reached a point where the Cowboys are 5-5-1, and while they just won consecutive games for the first time this season, they have yet to be north of .500 at any point in 2025. In fact, the Cowboys have not been north of .500 since
Week 5 of last season when they were 3-2.
It goes without saying that a win on Thanksgiving Day against the Kansas City Chiefs would continue to cure the sickness that surrounded the team, and it would really boost their playoff odds.
Here is the state of the NFC playoff picture following Week 12:
- Division Leader: Los Angeles Rams (9-2)
- Division Leader: Philadelphia Eagles (8-3)
- Division Leader: Chicago Bears (8-3)
- Division Leader: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5)
- Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks (8-3)
- Wild Card: Green Bay Packers (7-3-1)
- Wild Card: San Francisco 49ers (8-4)
- In The Hunt: Detroit Lions (7-4)
- In The Hunt: Carolina Panthers (6-6)
- In The Hunt: Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1)
The Cowboys pulled off an incredible win in Week 12 that involved overcoming a 21-0 deficit so it is fair to say they used up their good luck, but they were so close to some big-time losses happening across the conference as well. The Bears and Lions flew closest to the sun on the path to their own victories, but ultimately they did win and that means the Cowboys still have work to do.
It is often said that you can only control what you can control in situations like this which means the Cowboys can only do their part by winning and hoping that the rest of the cards fall in their favor. For what it’s worth, of the teams they trail in the overall conference standings, they only have a game remaining against one of them in the Lions. Dallas will visit Detroit next Thursday night.
We have talked about how the Cowboys might have to get to 9-7-1 (which would involve losing only two of the six games remaining), but even that might not be enough. Time will tell what record gets teams in, but any conversations of this ilk will feel all the more real if the Cowboys beat the Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day.
