It's probably hard for any Cowboys' fan to believe it right now, but Dallas still has a shot to make the playoffs.
The Ravens' win is great news for the Eagles, who now can come back from the dead to earn a playoffs spot if they beat the Redskins this week, the Cowboys next week and get a loss by either the Bucs or Falcons in either of their final two games. But even in the midst of another December collapse, Dallas is assured of a spot in the playoffs if they beat the Eagles next week and the Bucs lose to either Chargers (possible) or the Raiders (not bloody likely). Dallas beat Tampa Bay head-to-head so they would win any tiebreaker.
But even if Tampa Bay goes 2-0, the Cowboys still have shot at the playoffs with a win next week combined with a Falcons' loss to either the Vikings this week (highly possible) or the Rams (not a chance in hell). The Falcons and Cowboys are likely to fall to the strength of victory tiebreaker, which means the winner of the playoff spot would be determined by the win-loss records of the teams they beat. Dallas currently holds a three-win advantage in strength of victory with a lot of games to play.
Dallas now needs a lot of help, and they can only blame themselves, since a win over either the Steelers or Ravens in the last three weeks would have basically locked up a playoff spot. The collapse pretty much ensures that the last memory of Dallas Stadium will be Le'Ron McClain's 82-yard run, but it doesn't yet mean that Dallas will be sitting out of the playoffs this January.
Cowboys Aren't Dead Yet originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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