In 92 out of every 100 iterations, the Dallas Cowboys are going to miss the playoffs. Based on how they’ve performed on the roat against quality opponents, the quickest path to a sixth Super Bowl victory may exist more in their draft positioning than their performance over the next four weeks.
Still, tomorrow is not promised to anyone, therefore if there’s even a sliver of a chance to make the playoffs, teams should strive for the opportunity and fans should root for it. Save those “if they had lost more, the pick would be better” philosophies for retrospect. In the now, Week 14 brings a chance to root for teams ahead of Dallas to lose, and maintain the illusion of hope.
Teams that are ahead of the Cowboys in the standings, losing Week 14, by itself won’t help. Dallas needs teams to stumble and stumble hard over their next five games. But who are the clubs most likely to do so? There are two that are clear “favorites” for the tumble.
Chicago Bears (9-3)
The Bears are one of the NFL’s three suprise organizations this season, along with the AFC’s New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. They’ve won five in a row to zoom to the top of the NFC North, but their remaining schedule is riddled with games where a team that has a questionable defense and a mediocre passing offense can falter.
Without even denigrating their performance so far, four of the Bears remaining five games could easily be a loss that no one would blink an eye at individually: @ Green Bay, vs Cleveland, vs Green Bay, @ San Francisco, vs Detroit.
It’s unlikely that a 9-3 team would go 1-4 (the number of losses the Bears need to have for Dallas to pass them is seven), but it’s not impossible.
Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
The Cowboys’ easiest path to the playoffs, despite their Thursday night loss to the Lions, is still catching the Eagles in the NFC East. Dallas also needs Philadelphia to have seven losses, but they have a much easier slate of opponents than the Bears do. The caveat is, the Eagles aren’t playing well at the moment, and losing to worse teams, especially division opponents, is wholly on the table.
The Eagles have lost two in a row, collapsing in the second half against the Cowboys, then getting ran over and through by the Bears in a fashion that questions their heart. They have the talent to turn things around instantly, but at the moment they seem to be replicating their 2022 NFC title defense season where they faltered down the stretch and bowed out meekly.
Can it happen this year? @LA Chargers, vs Las Vegas, @Washington, @Buffalo, vs Washington.
This doesn’t feel like a doable thing, but playing two AFC teams on the road, including a late December trip to Buffalo feel like a perfectly possible 0-2 stretch. Washington, who is getting quarterback Jayden Daniels back this week, could easily bubble up and pull of a split or even a sweep as they look for revenge to last year’s NFC Championship defeat.
Week 14 Rooting Guide
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 2 NFC Teams most likely to collapse: Week 14 Cowboys rooting guide
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
