The Dallas Cowboys barely beat the Indianapolis Colts, who have all but conceded the 2026 season, one week after losing to the Arizona Cardinals, who also seem to have no chance at making the playoffs this year.
We can’t forget about their 24-16 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were literally starting an undrafted free agent rookie quarterback.
They went into Dallas with undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels and defeated the Cowboys while holding them to just 16 points.
Live look at Jerry Jones:
When they’ve played good teams, they’ve gotten handled almost every time: the Packers held “GOTI” to just 13 points, Baltimore took care of them in Brazil, and the NFC East-leading Giants took them to school to open the year in Week 1.
Yes, they’ve beaten the Texans by the skin of their teeth, but that is really the only “impressive” win the Cowboys have had all season long. That’s how you get to be 4-5, despite a fairly easy schedule thus far.
The problem is this: their schedule is about to get twenty times harder, and I don’t see how they can overcome it.
The Cowboys’ Remaining Schedule Problem
(4 likely playoff teams, 3 more divisional games ahead for Dallas)
I wouldn’t advise staring at the future matchups for the Cowboys — it gets depressing pretty fast.
Most of us “pessimistic” fans have already conceded tomorrow’s game to the San Francisco 49ers. They haven’t beaten this rival in just under six years, and this doesn’t look like the team that will suddenly turn that tide around.
IF Dallas does lose this game, they drop to 4-6, with the two games they absolutely should win back-to-back (home against Tennessee and a tanking Eagles team). After that, buckle up, because it is hard to find wins.
I’m talking about a Monday matchup in Seattle against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, followed by Dallas’s late bye week, and another West Coast battle with the Los Angeles Rams.
Yes, they return home after that, but it is to play the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars, who just spent the trade deadline making big move after big move.
🏈Traded a 2nd and 5th to the Falcons for S Jessie Bates.
🏈Traded a 1st and 2nd to the Eagles for DT Jordan Davis.
🏈Traded a 6th to the Saints for DT Davon Godchaux.
Weeks 17 and 18 are then in Dallas and in Washington, to play the Giants and Commanders respectively. In theory, these two games would usually decide the fate of the NFC East, but I don’t know if the Cowboys will even be in contention by then.
Again, call me pessimistic, but I don’t see Dallas beating San Francisco, Seattle, LA, or Jacksonville, and that alone puts you at nine losses.
This means even if you beat Tennessee and Philly, as they should, and take care of NYG and WAS to end the year, you’re sitting at 8-9, hoping that the Giants had some major collapse that somehow kept them under .500 for the year.
I just don’t see it.
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