The Dallas Cowboys are back in their flow after a comeback win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Down 21-0, Dak Prescott navigated the team through the rough stretch, scoring 24 unanswered points en route to victory. It was a huge win that reinvigorated the fanbase and gave hope for a possible playoff run.
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The issue, however, is that the Cowboys’ next two games are tough. They first play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day. They follow that up with the Detroit Lions on the road. It’s a tough stretch of games that will shape their season, meaning the road to the playoffs is just getting started.
Many even believe that if the Cowboys lose any games moving forward, they won’t make the playoffs. But Jeff Saturday went through an exercise to show that Dallas is still very much in the picture and that the numbers can be misleading at times.
“If they lose against the Chiefs, and then they win against the Lions… What happens if they get that win? Oh my word, what does that number say at the top right there? Does that say 82%? Did I just hear 4% and then 82%?” Saturday asked facetiously on First Take.
If the Cowboys lose to the Chiefs on Thursday, their chances of making the playoffs drop to 4%. But if they can rip off five straight wins after that, the chances rise to 82%. It’s not a guarantee that they’ll make it, yet it proves the point that not all hope should be lost if they lose.
“We went from 4% to 82%, and that’s with a loss to the Chiefs. Now, I’m not guaranteeing a loss against the Chiefs; we saw how that worked out against the Eagles last week,” Saturday reasoned. “So, I’m just going to stay mum on the concept. But I’m saying, the Cowboys still have a clear path to the playoffs with winning one of the next two games against the Chiefs and the Lions.”
With this in mind, the next two games become crucial for Prescott and the Cowboys. They need to win at least one of them, and they’re expected to be underdogs in both contests. This means that they will need to step up and overcome the odds if they want to keep the playoff dream alive.
.@SaturdayJeff shows how the Cowboys can make the playoffs pic.twitter.com/UlUJtdMEJy
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 25, 2025
The problem with Saturday’s theory is that the four games after the rough stretch aren’t guaranteed wins either. The Minnesota Vikings have been a tough opponent against good teams and could beat Dallas in a primetime matchup. Furthermore, the LA Chargers should also have the offensive firepower to hold their own, and then some.
If the Cowboys can win one of their next two games and rip off four straight to end the year, then they deserve to be in the playoffs. But it’s hard to imagine that happening. After all, they did not play well on Sunday, and most teams would’ve run away with the win against them. Yet, the Eagles had their own bevy of blunders down the stretch that opened a window for Prescott to literally jump through.
We’ll see if the Cowboys can make a magical run to the playoffs. But we’re going to keep our expectations low. Regardless, excitement around the team is sky high following Sunday’s win, and at the very least, they’ve given themselves a chance to get there.
