Another week, another loss for the Dallas Cowboys and a further slide down both the division and conference standings. As bad as things feel right now, Dallas is still just a few games out of a wild card spot and with over half of their schedule still to be played. What needs to go right in Week 9 for the team’s fortunes to improve?
The biggest surprise since last week’s rooting guide was the rise of the Cardinals to number one in the NFC West. With three teams tied at 4-4 and the Rams just behind them at 3-4, the eventual division winner is impossible to call right now. At the very least, it’s not looking like they’ll put more than one team in the playoffs.
The Eagles slid into the wild card picture thanks to their own win over Cincinnati and some help from a rival with Washington beating Chicago. Even without the Bears, the NFC North now still has three playoff spots but Minnesota is suddenly tottering after two straight losses.
- Detroit Lions (6-1 overall, 5-1 vs NFC)
- Washington Commanders (6-2 overall, 4-1 vs NFC)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-3 overall, 5-1 vs NFC)
- Arizona Cardinals (4-4 overall, 2-3 vs NFC)
- Green Bay Packers (6-2 overall, 2-2 vs NFC)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-2 overall, 3-2 vs NFC)
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-2 overall, 3-2 vs NFC)
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We’re not used to seeing our Cowboys so low on this list. At this rate, they could be mathematically eliminated on the early side. With a tough four-game stretch of the Falcons, Eagles, Texans, and Commanders ahead, a 3-8 record going into Thanksgiving is not hard to imagine.
You may think it’s silly for us to even be talking about playoff chances, but as long as it’s technically on the table we’re still going to look at it. But even now, it’s probably time to start factoring in Dallas’ draft positioning as well.
From that perspective, Thursday’s win by the Jets was good for the Cowboys. New York improved to 3-6, bringing them just one win away from jumping above Dallas in the race to the bottom. The Cowboys would be just outside of the 2025 Draft’s top 10 right now based on current standings.
Let’s get into the rest of the Week 9 games and see how Dallas can benefit, either in terms of this year’s playoffs or next year’s draft.
Giants over Commanders
Jaguars over Eagles
These would be win-wins for the Cowboys, hurting New York and Jacksonville’s draft positions while holding Washington and Philadelphia back on the playoffs side. Both the Giants and Jaguars are 2-6 and would currently be in the top five of the draft, so that shows how fast the Cowboys could end up with a great pick if things keep going south.
Lions over Packers
Detroit feels like the eventual NFC North winner, so more losses for potential wild-card teams like Green Bay are good. Of course, it’s unlikely that the Cowboys will be in sniffing range of either of these teams by January.
Cardinals over Bears
Rams over Seahawks
Both of these help if the Cowboys do end up making a surge toward a playoff spot, hanging losses on the better teams in Chicago and Seattle.
Colts over Vikings
Chiefs over Buccaneers
These AFC wins over NFC teams would help Dallas if they can get into the wild card race. Both Indy and KC already have better records than the Cowboys, so there’s no harm on the draft side either.
Dolphins over Bills
Raiders over Bengals
Browns over Chargers
Titans over Patriots
Panthers over Saints
These are all about next year’s draft; lesser teams getting wins that improve their records and hurt their claims on higher draft spots. Carolina and Tennessee are the only one-win teams left, so this would help the Cowboys’ shot at potentially getting into the top five or higher.
