At 3-4, Cowboys Longshot for Playoffs

The Cowboys and playoffs don’t even belong in the same sentence, and the reality is the Cowboys playoff hopes are pretty much dead. Outside of week 1, the Cowboys have squeaked by mediocre teams and lost some really poor games. You really do not know what team is going to show up.

One thing I do know is that since the Super Bowl in 2000, there has only been one team to make the Super Bowl with a 3-4 record and that was the 2001 Patriots who went on to win the Super Bowl that season against the Rams. The Patriots reeled-off 8 wins and just 1 more loss, finished the season 11-5. We cannot go 2 games below .500 or kiss the season goodbye and label it another season lost.

So, what are the odds, that this sloppy, self-inflicting team can just flip the switch this week against the undefeated Falcons in the Georgia Dome? This is truly a do or die game and I do not see it happening, I really don’t. The die hard fan inside me says we should be able to beat Matt Ryan, and we should be able to move the ball in the air against their defense, but the reality is that the Cowboys cannot execute and play mistake free football.

The Falcons are 7-0 because they are consistent, smart, and they limit mistakes and turnovers. That’s how you play for the playoffs, these guys understand the stakes this year – the Cowboys don’t.

Right now the 5-2 Giants are the class of the NFC East, so for the Cowboys to clinch or even nab a wild card spot, they need to replicate what the Patriots did during the 2001 season by going 8-1 the remainder of the year.

Here’s our remaining schedule, tell me where the Cowboys finish this year:

Nov. 4 @ Atlanta, 7:20 p.m. (SNF NBC)

Nov. 11 @ Philadelphia, 3:15 p.m.

Nov. 18 vs. Cleveland, Noon

Nov. 22 vs. Washington, 3:15 p.m.  (Thanksgiving game)

Dec. 2 vs. Philadelphia, 7:20 p.m. (SNF NBC)

Dec. 9 @ Cincinnati, Noon

Dec. 16 vs. Pittsburgh, 3:15 p.m.

Dec. 23 vs. New Orleans, Noon

Dec. 30 @ Washington, Noon

That’s a tough way to finish no matter what our record would have been; however, at 3-4 and playing like we have no idea how to play football, we have no chance of going 8-1.

Through 10 games, I had the Cowboys predicted as being 4-6, at 3-4, they are track for what I predicted just a few weeks ago. We all just keep wishing this team would wake up from their nightmare and win some games, and we keep thinking and hoping there’s still a chance.