The Cowboys Getting Back Into Playoff Contention Isn't Crazy - Here's Why

The Dallas Cowboys snapped a five-game losing streak on Sunday, winning a truly wild one against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Dallas topped Washington, 34-26, to get the franchise's first win in several weeks. While Dak Prescott is out for the rest of the season with a torn hamstring, and the Cowboys are 4-7 on the season, Mike McCarthy's team isn't giving up.

"I’m not done yet. I don’t plan on tanking. If the higher-ups are looking for a draft pick, I hope that’s ruined, because we got a lot of football left to play.



As long as I’m a part of this team, we’re always going to fight," Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons said in the locker room on Sunday afternoon. Now, the Cowboys are still probably going to end up with a high draft pick, and the playoffs are still not within spotting distance, but if you squint hard, you can see how Dallas could play itself back into the picture. Icon Sportswire/Getty Images The Cowboys are currently 2.

5 games behind the Commanders, who have the No. 7 seed in the NFC at the moment. Dallas would probably have to win out - or at least go 5-1 - the rest of the way to have a shot at making the playoffs.

That's probably impossible, right? Most likely, but take a look at their next four games: Those are all winnable games, even with Cooper Rush at quarterback. If the Cowboys defense plays like it did against the Commanders on Sunday - and, with Parsons and Daron Bland both back, it's possible - they should at least be in every game. What if the Cowboys win these next four games, get to 8-7 on the season, heading into the final two games? Dallas Cowboys (4-7) next 4 games: - Giants (2-9) - Bengals (4-7) - at Panthers (3-8) - Buccaneers (5-6) The Cowboys finish the year with two divisional games.

Dallas will probably lose at Philadelphia in Week 17, but the Cowboys get Washington at home in Week 18. If Dallas can somehow win out until that Philadelphia game, it could have a chance to play for a playoff spot in Week 18 at home against the team it just beat today..