FRISCO, Texas — Doom and gloom swirled around the Dallas Cowboys as they entered Week 12 on a five-game losing streak and with a 3-7 record, their worst since 2020. Injuries to their franchise quarterback, No. 2 receiver, top inside linebacker, as many as four edge rushers, both starting outside corners, left tackle and starting guards have made 2024 a challenging year.
“As a staff, this is very challenging,” head coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday. “As we’ve talked as a staff, we’ll be better coaches because of this experience. I believe that. I’ve experienced it in the past. That’s what this league’s about. It’s not about players getting injured. It’s really when and who, the timing of it, getting the young guys ready to play as fast as possible. You have different levels of that each and every year. If you’re going to coach in this league, you have to be able to coach through these times. I know all of us will be better for this experience.”
They now feel like they can see a light out of their tunnel of darkness following their upset win at the Washington Commanders on Sunday that ran Dallas’ record to 4-7 with their schedule starting to soften up. Plus, longtime backup Cooper Rush’s is starting to find his rhythm after three consecutive starts in place of injured Dak Prescott. He completed 24 of his 32 passes at Washington in Week 12 for 247 yards passing and two touchdowns, which gave him career-highs in both completion percentage (75%) and passer rating (117.6).
“It feels like that because we know what we’re doing,” Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis said Tuesday when asked if he sees a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to Dallas’ schedule. “We know what we’re doing, and guys are playing hard. We’re executing the right way from all 11 of us on the field. So it feels good. … We’ve been pretty good historically in the past. So we definitely have that confidence in each other that we can go out there and finish games.”
So, can the Cowboys win out?
“That’s the plan. As a football player, as a competitor, we want to win games,” Lewis said. “We saw we were playing good ball the last few weeks. Everything as a team, it wasn’t coming together. It came together in a better way last week, and I feel like that gave us the belief to say, ‘We all can play good ball and win out.'”
Let’s take a closer look at that possibility, as wild as it may sound. Their remaining six opponents have a combined .448 win percentage, which means the Cowboys are tied for the eighth-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, per Tankathon. The SportsLine simulation model gives the Cowboys just a 1.4% chance to make the postseason and an even more narrow 0.6% chance to win all six of their remaining regular season games.
They should be able to take care of business on Thanksgiving against a New York Giants squad whose locker room seems about done with its coaching staff. The Cincinnati Bengals have invented new and creative ways to lose despite quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase producing at historic levels through 11 games. The Carolina Panthers are still in the early stages of their rebuild. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has declined in a major way this season after being a pillar of consistency since 2020. Having to travel to the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that pummeled the Cowboys in Week 10 despite running back Saquon Barkley only registering 66 rushing yards, will definitely be a problem. Other than that, a case can be made that a 9-8 finish for Dallas is within the realm of possibility given the schedule. A 10-7 conclusion to the regular season, which would include a win at Philadelphia, would involve divine intervention.
|
13 |
vs. Giants |
2-9 |
64% |
|
14 |
vs. Bengals |
4-7 |
39% |
|
15 |
at Panthers |
3-8 |
59% |
|
16 |
vs. Buccaneers |
5-6 |
49% |
|
17 |
at Eagles |
9-2 |
27% |
|
18 |
vs. Commanders |
7-5 |
39% |
Since the NFL postseason bracket expanded to 12 teams in 1990 — six each for the AFC and six for the NFC — seven teams have reached the playoffs after beginning a season 4-7. The 2023 Buccaneers reached the playoffs last season after such a start by finishing 9-8 and winning the NFC South.
The good news for the Cowboys is reinforcements are on the way: they activated No. 2 wide receiver Brandin Cooks (knee) off of injured reserve on Wednesday and have hope four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) can eventually return like 2023 first-team All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland (foot stress fracture) did at Washington on Sunday.
Again, a 1.4% chance to make the playoffs means its nearly impossible, but Dallas’ 2024 season does still has a heartbeat.
