The Dallas Cowboys, as unexpected as it might have seemed after the Micah Parsons trade, were starting to make legitimate noise. While it seemed like they would fizzle out behind an uninspiring defense, their fates have turned in a significant way since the trade deadline.
After winning three straight games, their Week 14 clash against the Detroit Lions came with playoff implications for both teams. However, Dallas unfortunately came up short against Detroit. Are the playoffs still a legitimate hope for the Cowboys?
How Far Can the Dallas Cowboys Go?
A 3-5-1 start was a perplexing ride for fans in Dallas, as the team had some exceptional showings, including a shootout victory over the New York Giants and an overtime thriller against the Green Bay Packers.
But they were also a team that lost to the Carolina Panthers and got blown out by the Arizona Cardinals. As a result, it seemed impossible to invest in them, particularly given the defense’s near-bottom-of-the-league standing.
However, at the trade deadline, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones chose to invest heavily, making two trades that brought in Logan Wilson and Quinnen Williams to the roster.
Since then, the defense had shown marked improvement, winning three games in a row, including a victory over the two teams that appeared in Super Bowl 59 within a span of four days (the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs).
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PFSN’s Playoff Predictor, which gives an estimate on how the season is going to play out for the entire league while keeping the strength of schedule in mind, was also unwilling to write off the Cowboys completely.
At 21.40% to make the playoffs entering Week 14, they were still in the mix, particularly considering the level that they had been playing at since the new additions at the trade deadline.
3-spot for Jah boy!@Jahmyr_Gibbs1 | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/3bst2xYveE
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 5, 2025
However, with their 44-30 loss to the Lions in Week 14, the Cowboys’ playoff chances have taken a significant hit. They now only have a 9.9% chance to make the playoffs.
Winning the NFC East is now nearly impossible, as their odds have dropped to 7.6%. Despite beating the Eagles in Week 12, their 8-4 record is a sizeable advantage for Dallas to overcome. What works in the Cowboys’ favor, though, is that the Eagles seem to be playing some of their worst football of the season in the last two weeks.
After blowing a 21-point lead against Dallas, where they failed to score for nearly the final 40 minutes of the game, they allowed the Chicago Bears to run for over 250 yards the following week.
Although the Cowboys were not able to capitalize against the Lions, they still have a chance to make some noise. Philadelphia faces another playoff team, the Los Angeles Chargers, on Monday, and if they lose, the fans in Dallas will remain invested in their chances of pulling a rabbit out of the hat.