There are seven weeks left in the 2025 regular season. Whether you’re rooting for Dallas to extend its year into the playoffs or for a higher 2026 draft pick, we’ve got you covered in the Cowboys fans’
Week 12 rooting guide.
While we wish that Dallas had more games left to turn their season around, the shortening road to Week 18 does help us make better analysis of the eventual standings. As variables diminish, projections get more accurate. So the closer we get to the regular-season finales, we’ll be able to dig even deeper into the potential impact of each game.
Before we get to the Week 12 schedule, let’s spend a few minutes on where Dallas currently sits in both the playoff and draft races. We’ll start with the more immediate goal of making the tournament.
Current 2025 NFC Playoff Standings
1. Philadelphia Eagles 8-2 (7-1 vs NFC)
2. Los Angeles Rams 8-2 (3-2)
3. Chicago Bears 7-2 (5-2)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-4 (4-2)
5. Seattle Seahawks 7-3 (4-3)
6. Green Bay Packers 6-3-1 (4-2-1)
7. San Francisco 49ers 7-4 (7-2)
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8. Detroit Lions 6-4 (3-3)
9. Carolina Panthers 6-5 (4-2)
10. Dallas Cowboys 4-5-1 (2-4-1)
Anyone who feels this is too tall an order for the Cowboys is not being unfair. They’re three wins behind the seventh-seeded 49ers and have two teams in front of them. One of those, Carolina, does have a head-to-head tiebreaker. However, that likely won’t matter, as the tie in Dallas’ overall record would render it irrelevant. If the Cowboys can at least have the same number of wins as the Panthers at the end of the year, they’d have a slightly higher winning percentage (thanks to the tie) and thus move above them in the standings.
One reason for optimism is that the NFC North and NFC West are about to get into the thick of division play, which means several potential losses for teams ahead of Dallas on this list. As long as one team in each of those divisions, like the Packers or 49ers, takes the majority of those losses, that could pave the way for the Cowboys to move up. The Bucs and Panthers also still have two games to play against one another, so a lot could happen.
Of course, this is all predicated on Dallas turning its own play around and winning the majority of its remaining games. If they can at least get to nine wins, meaning winning five of the next seven, that could be enough. A nine-win team has made the NFC playoffs in three of the last four seasons. And remember, 9-7-1 is a better overall record than 9-8. It still remains to be seen if Dallas’ tie with Green Bay helps or hurts them in the end.
For those of you who’ve given up on the current season, let’s look ahead to April.
Current 2026 NFL Draft Order (as projected by Tankathon)
1. Tennessee Titans 1-9
2. New York Giants 2-9
3. Cleveland Browns 2-8
4. New Orleans Saints 2-8
5. New York Jets 2-8
6. Las Vegas Raiders 2-8
7. Washington Commanders 3-8
8. Los Angeles Rams (from 3-7 Falcons)
9. Cincinnati Bengals 3-7
10. Arizona Cardinals 3-7
11. Miami Dolphins 4-7
12. Minnesota Vikings 4-6
13. Dallas Cowboys 4-5-1
14. Baltimore Ravens 5-5
15. Kansas City Chiefs 5-5
16. Houston Texans 5-5
17. Carolina Panthers 6-5
18. Detroit Lions 6-4
19. Cleveland Browns (from 6-4 Jaguars)
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-4
21. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-4
22. Los Angeles Chargers 7-4
23. San Francisco 49ers 7-4
24. Dallas Cowboys (from 6-3-1 Packers)
Right now, that tie is certainly helping as it keeps Dallas’ pick above a pack of 5-5 teams. Naturally, we’re also monitoring the Packers’ fortunes as their 2026 first-rounder belongs to the Cowboys. After a hot start to the year, they’ve slid up from the very bottom of the round into the mid-20s. We’d love that trend to continue.
The stage is set. So now, let’s get to the players in Week 12.
NFC East
Eagles @ Cowboys
PLAYOFFS: Dallas
DRAFT: Philadelphia
A no-brainer for rooting interests. If Dallas has any real hope of winning the division, they have to have this one. If they can afford a couple of losses and still get a wild card spot, this could be one of them. But ideally, the Cowboys make a big statement this Sunday.
Draft-wise, a Philly win obviously helps improve Dallas’ pick. It also keeps the Eagles in the upper crust of the standings and helps ensure that the Packers’ pick will be one slot lower.
Giants @ Lions
PLAYOFFS: New York
DRAFT: Detroit
The Giants could really help Dallas by upsetting the Lions and making it easier to move past them in the NFC. As for the draft, Detroit is currently neck-and-neck with the Packers. If we want that Green Bay pick to get higher, a Lions win helps.
NFC vs NFC
Vikings @ Packers
PLAYOFFS: Minnesota
DRAFT: Minnesota
Wear some purple underwear beneath your Cowboys gear this week. While Minnesota is just below Dallas in the NFC at 4-6, a Green Bay loss is far more helpful to us in both the playoff hunt and the draft order. And if the Vikings do get hot and end up with a better record than Dallas, that helps us draft-wise as well.
Panthers @ 49ers
PLAYOFFS: Carolina
DRAFT: San Francisco
While the Panthers are another team Dallas needs to pass in the playoff race, the 49ers are actually in the tournament right now. It’s more critical that they take this loss, with the hope that Carolina stumbles elsewhere along the way.
Draft focus: You’d like to see the 49ers below the Packers in the eventual draft order.
Buccaneers @ Rams
PLAYOFFS: Los Angeles
DRAFT: Tampa Bay
The Bucs are currently leading the NFC South, but the Panthers are right behind them. There’s a much better shot of one of those teams being catchable in the wild card race than the 8-2 Rams, so we’ll take a Tampa loss this week. The draft perspective here doesn’t really matter as both teams are probably making the tournament. Draft order among playoff teams is based on postseason results. But at the very least, Tampa having a higher record could be the tiebreaker if they’re mixed up with Dallas or Green Bay in the end.
Falcons @ Saints
PLAYOFFS: Atlanta
DRAFT: Atlanta
The NFC South showdown has very little relevance to Dallas. But the Falcons do have some other important NFC games coming against the Seahawks, Bucs, and Rams. If Kirk Cousins’ insertion at QB can spark something, maybe they stay competitive enough to hang a few losses on teams Dallas is tangling with in the playoff race.
NFC vs AFC
Steelers @ Bears
PLAYOFFS: Pittsburgh
DRAFT: Pittsburgh
It will be rare that we’d root against the AFC team in an interconference matchup. A Chicago loss makes them more susceptible if they end up as a wild-card team. The draft impact here is minimal, but at least a seventh win for the Steelers could help move the Packers’ pick up.
Seahawks @ Titans
PLAYOFFS: Tennessee
DRAFT: Seattle
Another easy one. A Seahawks loss hurts in the playoffs, and a win hurts them in the draft. Currently sitting at 1-9, Tennessee is a non-factor to Dallas in either conversation.
Jaguars @ Cardinals
PLAYOFFS: Jacksonville
DRAFT: Jacksonville
With the Jaguars at 6-4, their pick (which actually belongs to Cleveland) could be right in the mix with Dallas’ and Green Bay’s, especially if they wind up among the non-playoff teams.
AFC vs AFC
- Texans d. Bills
- Bengals d. Patriots
- Chiefs d. Colts
- Ravens d. Jets
- Raiders d. Browns
Because we own that Packers pick, it adds a little nuance to what should be easy picks. If it’s a choice between improving Dallas’ pick or Green Bay’s, we’re going to lean toward the Cowboys’ side as long as their pick projects to be higher and more valuable than the Packers.
In a game like Cleveland vs. Las Vegas, with both at 2-8, neither is likely to affect Dallas’ picks. So if nothing else, we’ll hope that they can clog up the works for the Giants and Commanders at the top of the draft order.
