The Cowboys have reached the kind of early-season stretch that can define everything that follows. Through five games, they’ve been stuck in a win-loss, win-loss rhythm that screams mediocrity, and the frustration only got louder after the loss to the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That game wasn’t just a loss on the schedule. It was the way Dallas looked doing it.
Their defense turned undrafted free agent rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels into a player who looked like he’d been around the league for years, and an offense that usually gives them a safety net managed only 16 points. For a team already searching for consistency, that was a rough reminder of how shaky things have been.
Even so, the door to the postseason isn’t shut. The NFC East, or NFC Least as its been nicknamed, is still there for the taking.
The New York Giants are sitting atop the division at 3-1-1, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys are both 2-3. The Washington Commanders are 1-3-1.
That keeps Dallas in the mix, but it also raises the stakes for what comes next.
The Cowboys have the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 6, then the Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 7. Those are big games on paper, but they need to be treated like must wins. Given the way Dallas has played, back-to-back losses are just as real a possibility as a two-game surge.
If that slide happens, the Cowboys would drop to 2-5, and the situation would get ugly fast. They’d be 1-2 in division play and would already have four NFC losses, a brutal place to be when tiebreakers start mattering for playoff positioning.
The numbers tell the story. Since the playoff extension in 1990, 155 teams have opened a season 2-5.
Only nine of them reached the postseason, a rate of 5.81%. That’s the kind of hole that usually swallows a season.
And Dallas still has a difficult stretch ahead, with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and Jacksonville Jaguars still on the schedule.
The good news is that the next few weeks offer a chance to stop the bleeding. After the Packers and Eagles, the Cowboys will see the 1-4 Arizona Cardinals and the 2-3 Indianapolis Colts.
If they can start stacking wins now, there’s still a path to a real climb in the NFC standings. But first comes the part Dallas can’t afford to miss: treating the next two games like they decide everything.
In Other News...
Cowboys May Be Rethinking Caleb Downs At The Worst Time
The Cowboys are heading into their next game against the Green Bay Packers with a notable adjustment in mind for rookie Caleb Downs, with the staff looking at using him differently and potentially sliding him back toward his original spot near the line of scrimmage. It is the kind of tweak that can say as much about where a defense is right now as it does about the player himself, and Dallas is making it with several contributors still sidelined by injuries.
Mike Pettines arrival as a senior defensive assistant adds another layer to the situation, giving the Cowboys another experienced voice as they sort through the latest version of their defensive puzzle. Elsewhere, the roster churn continues to be felt too, with Joe Milton having been signed off Dallas practice squad by the Philadelphia Eagles and now set to face his former team in an upcoming game. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Hit With Another Distraction Days Before Packers Game
With the Packers game looming, the Cowboys are dealing with another bit of fallout from their Week 5 win over Tampa Bay. The NFL announced its official disciplinary decisions and fined defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia $11,111 for a facemask penalty tied to unnecessary roughness in the second quarter against the Buccaneers.
The play cost Dallas a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for Tampa Bay, adding a little more irritation to a game already full of physical edge. It is the kind of detail that does not change the upcoming matchup on its own, but it does underscore how quickly the margins can become part of the conversation for a team trying to keep its focus on Green Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cowboys Punters Tragic Death Brought An Emotional Family Reflection
Former NFL punter Kasey Redferns death has left a heavy mark on the football community, and for Cowboys fans it adds another somber note to a career that briefly ran through Dallas and several other NFL stops. Redfern, a Wofford product, spent time with the Jaguars, Chargers, Panthers, Browns, Lions, Cowboys and Falcons, a reminder of how many locker rooms he touched during his journey through the league.
Lauryl Redfern had shared updates as he battled brain cancer, offering a window into a fight that had become deeply personal for the family. His passing closes a difficult chapter, but it also underscores how quickly a players NFL story can become something much bigger than football, especially when the people closest to him are left carrying both the memories and the grief. [Read more 🡒]