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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is fielding apologies after what he did on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Dallas Cowboys’ playoff chances have taken a devastating downhill drop following their 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. Dallas, which entered the game at 6-6-1, had an eight percent chance to make the playoffs before the game started.

Now that the dust has settled, that chance has dropped to less than one percent, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator.

In a season that had some promise even in the wake of Micah Parsons’ exit out of Dallas, the Cowboys now find themselves on the brink of elimination.

Dallas and Minnesota played a close game, but the Cowboys ultimately faltered in the fourth quarter when it mattered most. Brandon Aubrey missed two field goals while George Pickens was limited to just three catches in the loss.

How Dallas Can Still Make The Playoffs

Although the Cowboys mathematically have less than a one percent chance to make the playoffs, the formula to make it is actually quite simple.

Dallas’ only path to the playoffs is to win the NFC East. To do that, the Cowboys need to win out and the Philadelphia Eagles need to lose out. Dallas, by virtue of it’s tie against the Green Bay Packers, would finish at 9-7-1 while Philly would be 9-8.

The Cowboys could theoretically reach the final wild card slot, which is currently held by the aforementioned Packers. But that would take Green Bay, the Detroit Lions, the Carolina Panthers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lose out.

Not going to happen.

So Dallas fans, all you need is for your team to win the final three games and pray that Philly’s recent offensive struggles somehow get worse.

The Cowboys final three opponents are the 10-4 Los Angeles Chargers, the 4-10 Washington Commanders, and the greatest 2-12 team of all time, the New York Giants.

The Eagles will play Washington twice, once in week 16 and once in week 18, and will face the Buffalo Bills in week 17.

Philadelphia hasn’t been the same force it was in it’s 2024 run to the Super Bowl, but is still a formidable team with a winning culture. It isn’t likely they’d lose to the same team twice to finish the season, especially a 4-10 team with nothing left to play for but pride.

Prescott Putting Up MVP Numbers Despite Floundering Season

Dak Prescott hasn’t been the issue with the Cowboys this season. The veteran leads the league in passing yards with 3,931 through 15 weeks, and has 26 touchdown passes. He also leads the league in yards per game, and is top 10 in passer rating, QBR, and completion percentage.

Despite the fact that his team is more than likely not going to make the playoffs, Prescott is still in the top 10 in MVP odds following week 15. The pieces are in place around him offensively, which makes seasons like this that much more frustrating for Cowboys fans.

What has let Dallas down this season is what seems to let them down every season: the defense.

The Cowboys have allowed 420 points, the second most in the NFL, only behind the 4-10 Cincinnati Bengals.

Matt Skillings Matt Skillings is a Boston based sports journalist and a graduate of UMass Amherst, where he majored in journalism and communication. Matt covered the UMass men’s ice hockey team for three years for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He was also a media intern for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League for two summers. Matt has additional bylines with the New England Hockey Journal, the Boston Globe and MassLive. More about Matt Skillings

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