Mailbag: Are Cowboys facing another must-win?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

I realize it's only Week 7, and the term "must-win" is often overused, but how big is this game against the Eagles? It feels like it could be a tipping point for the entire season. – Bryan Carter/Austin, TX

Nick: I think this is as "must-win" as a Week 7 game can be for the Cowboys. It's probably about the same for the Eagles, but they're not actually expected to win and it won't be considered an embarrassing loss if the short-handed Eagles lose to a Cowboys team that still has most of their star players intact.

But more than the matchup, the Cowboys can't afford to keep losing games, especially if the Giants are finding ways to win. At this point, there's not going to be a real chance for the Wild Card, so it's all about catching the Giants, who beat them in Week 1. Oddly enough, because the Giants and Commanders tied, the head-to-head tiebreaker won't really factor into play unless the Cowboys finish with a tie later in the season.

But this Monday Night game is crucial for Dallas because they've got to figure out a way to right the ship. And playing a banged-up Eagles team with a young, inexperienced quarterback is the perfect place to start.

I've been saying all week that this is the "swing" game for the season. Win this one and get to 3-4 with the Cardinals, Colts, 49ers and Titans as the next four games, I think it would be the start for something going for this Cowboys team. But lose the game and get to 2-5, reality will set in that every game from here on out will be a struggle.

Kurt: You're right, the phrase "must-win" is used far too often. After all, this isn't a do-or-die playoff game. The season isn't done after this Monday Night showdown in Philadelphia. There will still be 10 more games to play, more than half of the 2026 schedule.

Yet this does feel like a tipping point. If the Cowboys can beat the Eagles on their turf in front of a prime-time audience, they'll be sitting at 3-4 with a tailwind heading into winnable games against Arizona and Indianapolis, two teams with losing records.

But lose and now suddenly the Cowboys' record is 2-5, ranking third in the NFC East. They'll be two and a half games behind the Giants, who won on Sunday, although New York also owns the tiebreaker after defeating Dallas in Week 1.

As history shows, that's a steep hill to climb. Nine times in their history, the Cowboys have lost at least five games in their first seven contests, including five seasons when they had a 2-5 start (1965, 1988, 2001, 2015 and 2020). Not once has Dallas ever managed to turn things around and make the playoffs.

With the ever-growing concerns surrounding nearly every aspect of the team, the Cowboys desperately need a victory. As the old saying goes, "Winning cures all ills." Take down your rival and the world is a much rosier place. Lose another one and, well, the troubles could only snowball.