The Cowboys opened the season with a loss to the Giants, and that puts their playoff outlook under the microscope right away. It does not, however, shove them into the danger zone just yet.
That’s the big takeaway from the latest playoff tracker: an 0-1 start has historically still left plenty of room to recover. From 2020 through 2025, 27% of teams that started 0-1 eventually reached the playoffs. By comparison, teams that opened 1-0 made it 61% of the time.
So the Cowboys’ first loss matters, but it doesn’t close the door. The NFL’s expanded playoff format, which has included 14 teams since 2020 with seven from each conference, has kept more teams alive deeper into the season. Over those six seasons, 84 teams have made the postseason.
The more immediate concern is how quickly a bad start can snowball. A second straight loss would push the Cowboys to 0-2, and historically that has led to a playoff rate of just 15%. Start 0-3, and the number falls all the way to 4%, which is basically the season slipping away in September.
That makes next week’s game against Washington feel a lot bigger already. It is not a do-or-die spot, but it is close enough to demand attention.
There is still a clear path back. Teams that sat at 1-1 after two games from 2020 through 2025 made the playoffs 43% of the time. If the Cowboys win the next two and move to 2-1, that historical playoff rate jumps to 62%.
So the message after one game is pretty simple: no panic, but no ignoring it either. The Cowboys lost their opener, and the numbers say the road just got a little steeper. We’ll keep tracking it each week.
In Other News...
Cowboys Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Backfield Problems
The Cowboys are still sorting out the depth behind Javonte Williams, and their latest move says the backfield remains very much a work in progress. Dallas signed Tyler Goodson off the Atlanta Falcons practice squad and added him to the 53-man roster, a sign the team wanted a more immediate answer in the room after cycling through options at the position.
To make it happen, the Cowboys released veteran running back Israel Abanikanda, who could still find his way back to the practice squad. Goodson is expected to share backup duties behind Williams, but the shuffle only underscores how unsettled the spot has been and how closely Dallas is monitoring the group as it tries to stabilize the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Week 1 Report Card Delivers A Harsh Verdict Fans Will Debate
Dallas opened the season with a loss to the Giants, and the early report card did not leave much room for optimism. The evaluation dug into individual performances across the roster, weighing the good against the bad after a game that featured too many mistakes to overcome, and it was especially notable that no Cowboy earned an A grade.
Penalties and a handful of defining plays shaped how the night was viewed afterward, turning what might have been a simple opening-week setback into a broader critique of execution. For a team expected to get the details right from the start, the grades offered a blunt reminder that the conversation in Dallas is already about where the cleanest performances came from, and where the biggest questions are still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Linebacker Worries Just Turned Into A Bigger Problem
The Cowboys came out of their game against the Giants with more questions than answers at linebacker, and the concern goes well beyond one shaky afternoon. DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters both had trouble holding up in coverage and against the run, giving up completions and looking vulnerable in the kind of traffic the middle of the defense has to handle.
Overshown also drew a late-hit flag, a reminder that the margin for error at that spot can be thin when instincts and discipline are still catching up. Taken together, the performance raised a bigger issue for Dallas: whether either player truly fits the MIKE role the way the defense needs, or whether the front office has to keep looking for an upgrade before this becomes a longer-term problem. [Read more 🡒]