ARLINGTON, Texas — There's a one percent chance the Dallas Cowboys find a way to sneak into the 2025 NFL Playoffs. That's it. To put that into perspective, those are almost literally the same odds that someone will be hit by a bus, on any given day, and that comparison is unironically apropos, given the circumstances.
Desperately needing a bounceback performance during Sunday Night Football, having delivered a poor showing one week prior against the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys' hot start against the Minnesota Vikings devolved quickly into yet another disheveled effort in a must-win scenario — their three-game win streak having, well, been hit by a bus lately.
"Yeah, definitely surprised," said quarterback Dak Prescott. "Especially after the bye week and the trades got rolling like we did for those few weeks, and then watch the confidence just skyrocket. [We] stopped teams from scoring at-will, coming back from 21 points. Just a lot of good wins there to be in this position.
"Just reminds you that every play matters. It's a hard game. Those guys get paid too. They practice throughout the week and prepare no differently than we do. It's tough. I'm definitely surprised, hurt, pissed off, frustrated, but all I can do is get better tomorrow."
Sitting at 6-7-1 on the season, with only three games remaining, any hope for a potential wild card berth was dropped into an open grave with the 34-26 loss to the Vikings, and optimism toward somehow stealing away the NFC East crown from the Philadelphia Eagles is now in ICU with a DNR order.
So, what now?
The Cowboys would need to win the remaining three games, one of which being against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, and the final two being against division rivals with nothing to play for other than wanting nothing more than to either bury the Cowboys, or to kick dirt onto the casket in the event the funeral service happened before they got to the cemetery.
And, if somehow this very same team that has suffered a letdown in consecutive weeks of must-win games do run the table, they'll also need the Eagles to lose out, despite two of their three games being against the Washington Commanders, owners of a 4-10 record.
Though they aren't mathematically eliminated ahead of Week 16, realistically speaking, the Cowboys are speaking as if they fully understand it's likely over. And that's why, when asked about the approach that needs to occur within the locker room over the remaining three games, Prescott spoke to the importance of the only things that are still on the line: pride and professionalism.
"You're a professional football player," said Prescott. "You have to come to work and give your absolute best, regardless. Unfortunately, I'm sure the playoffs are out of the picture, but it's about taking pride in who you are as a man, and not only that and your job and everything that's gotten you to this point. I know for a lot of guys, it's just the business of the world, right?
"That's interviews for some people. You can't just give up. You can't just stop. You can't just say, 'Oh, we're not going to the playoffs.' It's the National Football League. I just saw a team Thursday night that's not going to the playoffs beat a good team and knock them out. We've got to show up and just do our job, and that starts throughout the week."
Two things can be true at the same time, and though the first is the fact the Cowboys can likely wave goodbye to their playoff hopes for 2025, waving the white flag to end the season would be a terrible look for a team whose first-year head coach has staked his brand on rebuilding the culture of Dallas football.
Prescott has no plans on failing to uphold that standard, and has words for anyone who might.
"When you get to the game days, it's a celebration of the hard work that you've put in through your preparation," he said. "Nothing's going to change for me, and that's going to be my influence as a leader. My message to anybody around me is to take pride in who you are as a man and as a football player, and the job responsibility that you have. And what that entails is giving your best every day.
"And if you don't, you probably won't be in this league for long."
There will be plenty of time for reflection when the offseason arrives, and it's unfortunately now right around the corner for the Cowboys.
For now, they're about to find out who they are when all they have to play for is their pride and, for some, an opportunity to either remain in Dallas or to earn a shot somewhere else — hoping for a better than one percent chance at one or the other.
