The Dallas Cowboys just wrapped up one of the most grueling stretches any NFL team has faced this season-four games in 17 days. They came out of it with a 3-1 record, but that one loss, a 44-30 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions, is the one that stings. And while some might chalk that up to fatigue, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer isn’t buying it.
“We’d keep playing, we’re ready, we’ll play anybody anywhere,” Schottenheimer said after the game. “It doesn’t change because you lose to the Detroit Lions when you don’t play very good.
We did not play very good, and that’s why we lost. I’d love to play them again tomorrow if they’d let us.”
That’s a coach standing firm, refusing to let the narrative drift toward excuses. And to be fair, he’s got a point.
The Cowboys didn’t look like themselves in Detroit-not in execution, not in energy, and certainly not in discipline. But Schottenheimer isn’t letting the schedule or emotional toll be the scapegoat.
Let’s not forget what this team has been through in just over two weeks. They honored the memory of Marshawn Kneeland in an emotional win over the Raiders.
They geared up for a high-stakes NFC East showdown with the Eagles. They played on Thanksgiving Day against the defending champs, the Kansas City Chiefs.
That’s not just a physical toll-it’s a mental marathon.
Still, the NFL doesn’t hand out sympathy wins, and the standings don’t care how tired you are. The Cowboys now sit at 6-6-1, and their playoff hopes are hanging by the thinnest of threads.
The wildcard picture isn’t doing them any favors either. With most of the teams ahead of them already sitting on eight wins-and holding tiebreakers over Dallas-the road to January football is looking more like a tightrope walk.
So what’s left? The clearest path is through the NFC East.
That means hoping the Eagles stumble just enough for Dallas to sneak past them. Mathematically, it’s still possible.
Dallas would need to run the table-go 4-0 the rest of the way-while the Eagles go 2-3 down the stretch. That’s not impossible, but it’s a tall order.
And it’s not the kind of situation any team wants to be in: needing help from others just to stay alive.
This is where the margin for error disappears. The Cowboys can’t afford another misstep.
Every quarter, every possession, every decision from here on out carries playoff implications. They’ve shown fight-this recent stretch proved that-but now they’ll need near-perfection and a little luck to keep their season alive.
Whether fatigue played a role in Detroit or not, the reality is this: Dallas is now staring at a 9-percent chance to make the playoffs. That’s the math. And unless something dramatic changes, this team could be looking at a long offseason to regroup, recover, and figure out how to avoid this kind of late-season scenario in the future.
But don’t tell Schottenheimer they’re done. He’s not wired that way. And neither, it seems, is this team.