After 10 weeks of the NFL season, the playoff race is starting to get into full swing. And, yet again, there are lot of teams sitting just outside the playoffs waiting for a chance to swoop in and grab a wild card spot. In both conferences there are an array of teams battling for the two coveted spots and a shot at the Super Bowl.
In this series, I will go over all of the contenders for the wild card spots, and how they stand entering Week 11 (Assuming all division leaders hold on and win the division):
Favorites:
#5 Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
Key Games Remaining:
| Week | Team |
| 12 | @ Giants |
| 13 | vs Eagles |
| 15 | @ Eagles |
| 16 | vs Colts |
| 17 | @ Redskins |
Key Wins (For tiebreakers): Seattle (Week 6)
Key Losses (For tiebreakers): San Francisco (Week 1)
After a disappointing start to the season, getting manhandled by the 49ers, the Cowboys emerged as a contender in the NFL. They won six straight games, including a win on the road against Seattle, a feat only the Cardinals have accomplished in the past three seasons. The Cowboys looked like the best team in the NFC and Super Bowl favorites, until they fell back to earth in week 8. In a Monday Night Football battle against a weaker Redskins team, the Cowboys fell in overtime after quarterback Tony Romo went down with a back injury. Romo would miss their huge Week 9 matchup against the Cardinals, and the team dropped their second straight. Romo would return the week after, and lead the team to a win against the Jaguars.
DeMarco Murray has been the team’s best player so far, rushing for 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns in the 10 games he has played. Murray averages 5.1 yards per carry and has been the leader of the Cowboys second-ranked rushing attack.
Despite a slow start to the season, Dez Bryant has also rose up and shown why he is an elite receiver by catching 56 passes for nearly 800 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Despite a hot start and a great record, it won’t be easy for the Cowboys to hold on to their playoff spot. They come off the bye playing a New York Giants team at the Meadowlands. Although the Giants are only 3-6, any rivalry game on the road can spell trouble for a playoff contender.
They then have their two biggest games of the season over the following two weeks. In Weeks 13 and 15 they have the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are currently ahead of the Cowboys by half a game in the NFC East, and these games could decide the division winner. If the Cowboys win both they will have control of the division, but if they drop both then it would take them out of the division race and significantly hurt their wild card chances.
Their final two games are both tough matchups, and they may be must-wins depending on the situation. In Week 16, the Colts come to Texas in a game that could be vital to both teams’ playoff standings. The Colts are a tough team with MVP candidate Andrew Luck leading them to a potential first round bye in the AFC playoffs.
They finish off the campaign against their rivals, the Washington Redskins, a team responsible for one of their three losses. The Redskins may be all but out of the playoffs, but with the Cowboys coming to Landover in Week 17 to finish the season, it will be a harsh environment with the Redskins players’ minds on nothing but playing spoiler.
The Cowboys have the potential to make a splash in the playoffs after three straight seasons finishing at 8-8, and the Cowboys are a playoff-caliber team. They even have the opportunity to win the division, but with a tough schedule and a history of dropping key games at the end on the season, they may fall just short.
Prediction: 10-6 (7th place)
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