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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas — The voice came from the distance as the Dallas Cowboys’ players made their way to the Northwest Stadium locker room after beating the Washington Commanders 34-26 in a wild finish Sunday.
“We’re not done yet,” the unidentified player said to no one in particular and everyone who was within range.
It might have been Micah Parsons, since he was among the group of players on the way off the field at that time. And later on X, Parsons let everybody know his feelings.
Like I said we ain’t done 🤫🤫🤫 !! #cowboyswin
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) November 24, 2024
It’s amazing how one win can change a mood, how a 49-day, five-loss drought can evaporate and lead to a dream of bigger things to come in what has been a disappointing season for the Cowboys.
So, the question must be asked: Can the Cowboys (4-7) get themselves into playoff position?
On Thursday, they host the New York Giants (2-9), as hapless as they have been in a long time. Then there is an 11-day break before facing the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) on “Monday Night Football” that will feature The Simpsons in an alternate broadcast. From there, the Cowboys take on the Carolina Panthers (3-8).
Could the Cowboys get to 7-7 with three games to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles (at Lincoln Financial Field) and the rematch against the Commanders?
Veteran safety Malik Hooker wasn’t taking the bait.
“If we’re sitting here and playing on the ‘what ifs,’ or all these outcomes that could possibly happen before it happens, then we’re already at a disadvantage because we’re not in the moment of the opportunity that we’re presented,” Hooker said.
Even rookie center Cooper Beebe was thinking of one thing.
“Time to get ready for the Giants,” he said.
Perhaps it is presumptuous to think the Cowboys can put together such a streak. After all, they have yet to win a game at AT&T Stadium, 0-5 heading into the Thanksgiving Day game against the Giants (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox). They have won back-to-back games just once, Week 4 against the Giants and Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They struggle to score, and they give up too many points. They will be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott (hamstring) the rest of the way.
ESPN’s Football Power Index isn’t buying into one victory either.
It gives the Cowboys a 0.6% chance of making the playoffs, a 0% chance to win the division and a 0.1% of making it to the divisional round of the playoffs — and no chance of making the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl.
The FPI predicts the Cowboys to finish 6-11.
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As much joy as some Cowboys fans had in beating the NFC East rival Commanders, perhaps an equal amount or more decried the win because it could impact the Cowboys’ draft positioning.
They would rather see the Cowboys pick inside the top 5, or no worse than the top 10, than get caught in the middle of the draft, where the sure things at the positions of need are less likely to be available.
Do you know who doesn’t care about draft status? The players and coaches.
The Cowboys have 21 players set to become unrestricted free agents when the season ends. The better they play, the better they will be paid by the Cowboys or another team. The Cowboys do not have a coach under contract beyond this season. Whether they stay in Dallas or go elsewhere, their resumes would look better with a few more wins.
“I mean we’re not coming out there to really just lose every game,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “That’s not our mentality, and I’ve never been accepting of losing.”
At present, the Cowboys are better than only the Giants and Panthers in the NFC. The Chicago Bears have a better conference record (2-4) and are ranked ahead of Dallas. To make the playoff dream have a chance, the Cowboys would need the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers to fall out of the mix because of losses to both teams.
They could have a must-win head-to-head meeting Dec. 22 against the Buccaneers if all goes right.
When Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was coaching the Green Bay Packers in 2013, they were 5-6-1 after a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions. They had a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) and were without Aaron Rodgers, yet Matt Flynn directed two must-wins in December before Rodgers returned for the finale and beat the Bears.
McCarthy’s only thoughts now are on the rest and recovery of his players and the Giants.
“We’re still pretty far down in the valley of adversity right now,” McCarthy said. “So we’ve got to make one step in the right direction. We still got a lot of climbing to do.”
Since 1990, seven teams have started 4-7 and made the playoffs. However, two teams (Washington in 2020 and Carolina in 2014) won the division with a sub-.500 record. Since the expansion to the 17-game schedule in 2021, two teams have made the playoffs with 4-7 starts (Jacksonville in 2022 and Tampa Bay in 2023), but they were both division winners.
Just last season, the Packers were 3-6 but won six of their last eight to earn a wild-card spot with a 9-8 record. There’s no need to say who they beat in the wild-card round. Cowboys fans know.
“We know it’s going to be a tough journey, obviously, after taking a couple of punches with the losses back-to-back and things, but we just kept saying, ‘We gotta get one. We just gotta get one,'” Hooker said. “Because once you do that, it’s just confidence, and guys get momentum, and guys start figuring out it’s not just talk and buy into what you’re actually saying.
“That takes you a long way once teams start believing in what you’re coaching, what you’re preaching. It’s not just talk. Guys buy into it.”