The fairy tale season the Cowboys and Dak Prescott were weaving might have just seen its climax with a not-so-happy ending. When the team traveled to the Motor City to face the Lions in Week 14, they went with a 3-0 streak. That included defeating the last two Super Bowl champions, the Eagles and Chiefs, and favorable playoff chances. Unfortunately, that came crashing down.

Before the game, the Lions and Cowboys were the first two teams on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. While that fact still stands true, the Cowboys' chances are not looking good. The Lions, on the other hand, are a different story. 

According to Next Gen Stats, the Lions have boosted their playoff chances to 53%, a solid jump. If they had lost, that number would’ve plummeted to just 19%. Meanwhile, things aren’t looking great for the Cowboys, who are staring at a 9% chance. Had they managed to pull out a win, their hopes would’ve climbed to 39%.

Unfortunately, Dak Prescott and Co. had a rough game. Prescott did throw for 376 yards and 1 TD, but he was sacked 5 times and intercepted twice. The Cowboys have landed themselves in such a position that even if they win the next four games, there is no certainty they will make the playoffs. 

Dak Prescott is the key, but is it too late?

Over the last three games before the Lions, the Cowboys QB had taken a huge leap with 942 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his throws. He has a passer rating of 100.2 with 3,637 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 13 games this season.

There is no denying he has a lot of interceptions and inconsistencies, but he leads the NFL with the highest QBR. “At this point, I don't know if I could say we control, you know what I mean? Like our own destiny. I know it was not a stretch saying that before, but pretty sure right if we want out like we're going to have a pretty damn good record only having right five losses, one tie, being six,” Dak Prescott said after the Lions game as the team now stands at 6-6-1.

He continued, “I'm pretty sure, especially with just the way some of the divisions are shaped, the north, the west, we're going to need some things to happen for us. So I don't think it's in our control at this point.” And that is what it had come down to, even if they win all the games they have left, they will need other teams to lose theirs to make it to the playoffs. 

Thankfully, the Chargers are the only winning team they'll face for the rest of the regular season. The Vikings, Commanders, and Ginats have struggled throughout the season. So, if the Cowboys want to stay in contention, they'll certainly have to win big. So what do you believe? Will the Cowboys pull this off? Tell us in the comments.

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi