Inside The Star
The Dallas Cowboys are riding high after Monday night’s 33-16 win over the Raiders and rightfully so.
Dak Prescott was on fire, as was George Pickens, and Quinnen WIlliams had a great debut.
But the next two weeks will ultimately decide the Cowboys’ fate. Can they make a storybook run for the playoffs?
Or will they start getting ready for the 2026 season a month early?
Right now, not only is Philadelphia the NFC East leader, they hold the top seed in the NFC playoff picture at 8-2.
The Eagles have survived two tough battles with the Packers and the Lions. Both were one-score victories and low-scoring games, but still two huge wins.
Philadelphia beat Dallas to open the season, despite losing their best defensive lineman before the first snap of the game.
Jalen Carter will play on Sunday. But the Eagles will be without their Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson.
Dallas will need to exploit that weakness, and contain Saquon Barkley, to earn a win.
Four days later they drew the always dangerous Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs clearly aren’t the same team this year that made annual trips to the AFC Championship game an almost certainty.
However, they still have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and Andy Reid as their head coach. But the Cowboys cannot expect to beat them as easily as they did Las Vegas.
The gauntlet ends on Dec. 4th in Detroit and a Lions team that crushed Dallas at AT&T Stadium last year, 47-9.
They will be a tough out on the road.
To remain in the playoff hunt, Dallas almost has to win two of these three games to get to 6-6-1. They should be able to go 3-1 down the stretch against the Vikings, Chargers, Commanders, and Giants.
Even at 9-7-1, the Cowboys would probably still need help to get into the playoffs, but they’d have a shot.
But a 1-2 run, or 0-3, over the next two calendar weeks, and the Cowboys’ playoff hopes are likely DOA at either 5-7-1 or 4-8-1.
Dallas looked good in every aspect of the game on Monday night. The offense put up 33 points and probably could have made it 40 if needed.
The defense held the Raiders in check.
Las Vegas scored nine points when the game was still in question and never generated a rushing attack.
But there are reasons not to overstate the victory. Starting with who Dallas beat.
The Raiders appear to be tanking, falling to 2-8 with the loss.
Do not be surprised to see Las Vegas drafting Geno Smith’s immediate replacement in April.
Chip Kelly’s days as the Raiders offensive coordinator may also be numbered. Coming into a game against a team that can’t stop the run, Kelly called 28 passes and just four run plays in the first half.
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