Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys may be off in Week 10, but many Dallas fans will still be tuning in to action from around the league. What outcomes will best help the Cowboys, whether in trying to salvage the 2025 season or to improve their position in the 2026 draft?
Dallas currently sits at 11th place in the NFC standings, meaning there are currently four teams standing between them and a playoff spot. The 5-3 Detroit Lions hold the seventh seed, or the last wild card spot, as of today. So while this season has felt mostly gloomy so far, the Cowboys are only a couple of wins below .500 and have eight to go. The math still makes things possible, no matter how we may personally feel.
In terms of the next draft, Dallas’ first-round pick would currently be 14th in the order. The tie on the Cowboys’ 3-5-1 record makes it easy to project where they’ll be in the draft, making most tiebreakers with other clubs irrelevant. There are several teams sitting at 3-5 right now, so there’s plenty of potential for the Cowboys to shoot up the board as this season rolls along.
Whether you’re rooting for a playoff spot or a higher draft pick at this point, we’ve got you covered with this week’s rooting guide. Thursday’s game between the Broncos and Raiders did not go our way, as a Raiders win was the only outcome that really benefited Dallas. We’ll hope the rest of Week 10 is more considerate of the Cowboys’ needs.
PLAYOFFS: Green Bay
DRAFT: Philadelphia
Catching the 6-2 in the Eagles in the NFC East doesn’t seem likely at this point, but neither is catching the 5-2-1 Packers in a potential wild card race. Green Bay is currently leading the NFC North, so it may not matter what their record is. But if something funky happens in Philly over the next two months, Dallas is the only other team in the NFC East with a snowball’s chance of taking advantage.
The draft side of this is only relevant because Dallas still owns the Packers’ 2026 first-rounder. So at the very least, an Eagles win could help the Cowboys in April.
PLAYOFFS: Washington
DRAFT: Washington
The Commanders aren’t really a threat in the playoff race now, so we can root for them to hang a loss on the Lions. As mentioned before, Detroit is currently the most catchable of the three wild-card teams. And on the flip side, a Commanders victory would make them easier to pass in the draft order. So, a Washington win is a win-win for Dallas.
PLAYOFFS: New York
DRAFT: New York
Another “enemy of my enemy” game; New York’s even less threatening than Washington, while Chicago currently stands between Dallas and the playoffs at eighth place. And as with the Commanders, a Giants win also hurts them in the draft.
