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, up to four edge rushers, both starting outside corners, left tackle and starting guards made 2024 a tough year.
“As a staff, this is very difficult,” head coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday. “As we’ve talked about as a staff, we’re going to be better coaches because of this experience. I believe that. I’ve experienced it in the past. That’s what this league is about. It’s not about players getting hurt. It’s really when and who, the time of it, getting the young kids ready to play as fast as possible you have different levels of that every year if you go to coach in this league you have to be able to coach through these times i know we will all be better for this experience.”
They now feel they can see light from their tunnel of darkness following theirs upset win at the Washington Commanders on Sunday that ran Dallas’ record to 4-7 as their schedule begins to soften. Plus, longtime backup Cooper Rush is starting to find his rhythm after three straight starts in place of an 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’s like that because we know what we’re doing,” Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis said Tuesday when asked if he sees light at the end of the tunnel regarding 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 one to the other that we can go out and finish games.”
So, can the Cowboys win?
“That’s the plan. As a football player, as a competitor, we want to win games,” Lewis said. “We saw that we played good ball the last few weeks. Everything as a team, it didn’t come together. It came together in a better way last week, and I feel like that gave us the belief to say, ‘All of us. can play good ball and win.”
Let’s take a closer look at that possibility, as wild as it may sound. Their remaining six opponents have combined .448 winning percentage, which means the Cowboys are tied for the eighth easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, via Tankathon. The SportsLine simulation model gives the Cowboys just a 1.4% chance of making the postseason and an even narrower 0.6% chance of winning 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 almost finished with its coaching staff. The Cincinnati Bengals came up with 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 recording 66 rushing yards, will surely 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 bengali | 4-7 | 39% |
15 | at Panthers | 3-8 | 59% |
16 | against pirates | 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 reached the playoffs after starting the season 4-7. The 2023 Buccaneers reached the playoffs last season after such a start 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 injured reserve on Wednesday and have hope that four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) can eventually return as a 2023 first-team All-Pro cornerback. DaRon Bland (foot stress fracture) did at Washington on Sunday.
Again, a 1.4% chance of making the playoffs means it’s nearly impossible, but Dallas’ 2024 season still has a heartbeat.
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