Odds Say the Cowboys Will Miss the NFL Playoffs After Another Loss in Week 10

• Dallas is technically favored to get in, but with longer odds than six other NFC teams
• The Cowboys would be the No. 4 seed if the playoffs began today
• Dallas lost at home to the Vikings last week, 28-24

Entering Week 11, the Dallas Cowboys are 5-4 and lead the NFC East via tiebreaker. If the playoffs started today, they’d be the No. 4 seed — but they are far from solid footing in the postseason race and recent NFL playoff odds reflect as much.

Oddsmakers have put the Cowboys in a peculiar place, with favorable odds to both make (-120) and miss (-110) the playoffs. There are six NFC teams with shorter playoff odds than the Cowboys, which adds to the confusion.

Odds taken Nov. 13.  

Dallas still has seven games to play between now and the end of December, during which a lot is bound to change. Until then, here’s what you need to know about the Cowboys’ chances to make or miss the playoffs.

There Might Only Be One Way In

For those who may not know, the NFL playoffs are broken down this way: both conferences (made up of 16 teams each) has six playoff spots. Those spots are given to the four division winners, plus the two teams with the next best records (i.e. the wild cards).

As the current NFC playoff picture shakes out, the Cowboys are at least a game and a half behind every other team (none of which are in the Cowboys’ NFC East division).

NFC playoff picture through 10 weeks 👇

1. San Francisco 49ers: 8-1
2. Green Bay Packers; 8-2
3. New Orleans Saints: 7-2
4. Dallas Cowboys: 5-4
5. Seattle Seahawks: 8-2
6. Minnesota #Vikings: 7-3

In the hunt: Eagles, Rams, Panthers (5-4)

— Tanner Weber – Purple Post (@Purple_Post) November 13, 2019

The Philadelphia Eagles, a fellow NFC East foe, sit just on the outside with a 5-4 record. Given how deep the NFC is, it feels rather likely that one of those teams (the Cowboys and the Eagles) will make the playoffs via divisional berth and one will miss out entirely.

Dallas beat Philadelphia soundly, 37-10, in Week 7. It was the Cowboys’ fourth-straight win over the Eagles. The rivals will meet again in Week 16 in Philadelphia, in a game that might have serious playoff implications.

Make it FOUR straight wins for the @dallascowboys over the Eagles: pic.twitter.com/O7JPLzTJFx

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 21, 2019

Remaining Schedule

This week, the Cowboys play on the road against the Lions (3-5-1). After that, their schedule is at Patriots (8-1), vs. Bills (6-3), at Bears (4-5), vs. Rams (5-4), at Eagles (5-4) and vs. Redskins (1-8).

The Patriots will be very tough, but the rest of the slate is quite manageable. Dallas has already beaten the Redskins and Eagles this year, the Bills have lost two of their past three (and scored fewer than 20 points in four of their past six) and the Bears and Lions both have losing records.

"That was the easiest touchdown I've ever had!"
🔊🆙 for Sounds From The Sideline of the #DallasCowboys week 2 victory against the Redskins.@LGUS | #DALvsWAS pic.twitter.com/oieHcmzjbF

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 16, 2019

There are some toss-ups in there, but the Cowboys can certainly talk themselves into a 6-1 or 5-2 record the rest of the way.

Unfortunately for Dallas, the same is true of Philadelphia’s remaining schedule. After a home matchup with the Patriots, Philadelphia plays vs. Seahawks (8-2), at Miami (2-7), vs. Giants (2-8), at Redskins, vs. Cowboys, at Giants.

FINAL: @Eagles put up 25 points in the second half to defeat the Redskins! #WASvsPHI#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/pIZ6wKcoxf

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2019

On paper, the Eagles have an easier schedule left to play (which makes sense, since their playoff odds are shorter).

Decision Time

As previously stated, the most likely scenario is that only one of the Eagles and the Cowboys reaches the playoffs. With that in mind, I’ll side with Philadelphia based on the softer schedule.

Whichever team you choose, it might be worth asserting your pick by betting on the other team not making it.

Pick: Eagles make the playoffs (-180) and Cowboys miss the playoffs (-110).