NFL Standings & Playoff Picture: How the Last Place Dallas Cowboys Can Still Make the Playoffs
The Dallas Cowboys have the longest current losing streak in the league right now. They haven't won a game since Week 2, when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys aren't just in last place in the NFC East, they are in last place in the whole NFC with a putrid 2-7 record.
Incredibly, as crazy as it may sound, the Cowboys are actually still alive for a playoff spot.
It's going to take a miracle, but the Cowboys can still get a No. 4 seed in the NFC if a lot of things go their way. Tony Romo is expected to play this weekend against the Miami Dolphins after a terrible collarbone injury, and that's a game the Cowboys obviously have to win. If the Cowboys beat the 4-5 Dolphins, they will improve to 3-7.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they don't control their own destiny. A lot of things have to go right in order for the Cowboys to make the playoffs. The Cowboys won't make a wild card, because no NFC East team will. The only NFC East team that will make the playoffs will be the division winner. At minimum, the Cowboys will have to finish the season with an 8-8 record to realistically have a chance at the playoffs. That means they would have to win six of their last seven games.
That certainly won't be easy. The Cowboys only have two divisional games remaining, both of which will be against the Washington Redskins. On Thanksgiving the Cowboys will take on the undefeated Carolina Panthers. Even with Romo playing, that will be an extremely tough game. The Cowboys can only afford one more loss to preserve an 8-8 record.
The New York Giants sit atop the NFC East at the moment with a 5-5 record. If they would have defeated the New England Patriots at home, that may very well have just about eliminated the Cowboys. The Giants remain the favorites at this point mainly because they are only team in the division with a reliable quarterback. The Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins have all had very inconsistent quarterback play this season. The Giants are on their bye week this week, and the Cowboys need the Redskins to beat New York in Week 12.
A meltdown against the Dolphins has the Eagles at 4-5. That was a devastating loss because they blew a two touchdown lead, and Sam Bradford is injured. Can Mark Sanchez be the savior? The Eagles play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend.
The best case scenario for the Cowboys would be if they beat the Dolphins to improve to 3-7 while the Eagles and Redskins lose their games. If that were to take place that would mean the Giants would still lead the NFC East with five wins while the Eagles and Redskins would be tied at four victories. The Cowboys would only be one back of the Eagles and Redskins and two wins behind the Giants. All of a sudden, winning the division wouldn't seem so impossible.
NFC East Standings
1. Giants: 5-5
2. Redskins: 4-5
3. Eagles: 4-5
4. Cowboys: 2-7
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1
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