The Cowboys got a much-needed win over the Eagles, and now the real question is what it means. For some fans, it was a shot of belief. For others, it looked like a nice result against a battered Philly team that won’t tell us much about where Dallas is headed.
Either way, the standings don’t lie: the Cowboys are still in the hunt. They’re close enough to matter in the NFC East race and still hanging around the wild card picture as the season moves toward the midway point. Here’s where things stand in the NFC right now among the teams sitting at 3-4 or better:
Minnesota Vikings 6-0 (4-0 vs NFC)
San Francisco 49ers 6-1 (4-1)
New York Giants 4-2-1 (2-2-1)
Carolina Panthers 3-3 (3-2)
Chicago Bears 5-2 (3-2)
Detroit Lions 4-2 (3-1)
Green Bay Packers 4-3 (3-3)
Seattle Seahawks 4-3 (1-2)
Atlanta Falcons 3-4 (3-2)
Los Angeles Rams 3-4 (2-2)
Dallas Cowboys 3-4 (2-3)
At this point, the cleanest path for Dallas is still to run down the Giants and win the division. The wild card route is alive too, especially with the NFC North teams likely to start beating up on each other as the year goes on.
Before all that, though, the Cowboys have to take care of their own business. Arizona comes to town next, and Dallas needs to get back to .500 by beating a 2-5 Cardinals team. The Cardinals may not look scary on paper, but they’ve been a problem for Dallas anyway, owning an 8-2 record against the Cowboys over the last 20 years.
For this week’s rooting guide, though, the focus stays on the playoff board.
In the NFC East, Cowboys fans should be pulling for Washington over Philadelphia. The Eagles are 2-5, while the Commanders sit at 1-4-1, but the better record doesn’t make Philly the better outcome for Dallas.
The Cowboys need to keep looking ahead, not behind. And if both teams are headed for rough seasons, Washington is the one Dallas should prefer to help.
The Eagles are much more likely to reload and contend again next year if Jalen Hurts returns and they get an offseason to reshape the roster. The Giants are off this week, so Dallas can at least gain a little ground there with a win.
Around the NFC, the preferred results are clear: Panthers over Packers, Vikings over Lions, Falcons over Buccaneers, and Seahawks over Bears.
Carolina beating Green Bay is the easy call. Somebody has to win the NFC South, and the Panthers are the current leaders. A Packers loss would help Dallas in two ways: it would slow a potential wild card rival and could improve the 2027 first-round pick Green Bay owes the Cowboys.
Minnesota is probably too far ahead for Dallas to worry about directly, but a Vikings win still helps the bigger picture by pushing another NFC contender forward and making the chase tighter for teams like Detroit.
Atlanta and Tampa Bay are a little more immediate. The Falcons are tied with Dallas in overall record, but it’s still early, and the Buccaneers already have a head-to-head win over the Cowboys.
Tampa is also close behind and could be getting Baker Mayfield back soon. If the Bucs fall to 2-6, that gives Dallas more breathing room.
And if the Falcons lose, so much the better.
Seattle over Chicago is simply about slowing the Bears down in the wild card race.
The only NFC-AFC matchup this week is Chargers-Rams, and Dallas wants the Chargers to win. That said, the 0-6 Chargers make it tough to feel confident about that one.
In the AFC games, the rooting interests are more practical than emotional. Dallas heads to Indianapolis next week, so the Cowboys should be watching the Colts closely. Indianapolis has already started selling off pieces, and a home loss to Jacksonville would only add to the mess before Dallas arrives.
The other two matchups matter for draft reasons. The Cowboys own a third-round pick from Pittsburgh and a seventh-round pick from New England, so Browns over Steelers and Dolphins over Patriots are the preferred outcomes there.
In Other News...
Cowboys Head Into Cardinals Week With New Questions Around Key Stars
The Cowboys week of prep for Arizona has already taken on a different tone, with George Pickens working through shoulder and hamstring injuries that have cut into his practice reps. For a team trying to keep its offense on schedule, any limitation for a key pass catcher changes the look of the day-to-day plan, even if there is still time before kickoff. Safety Caleb Downs is also limited because of an ankle injury, adding another name to a practice report that merits close attention.
Patrick Queens name has also surfaced in trade talk, giving the injury watch a little extra noise as Dallas moves toward the Cardinals. Jerry Jones has already poured some cold water on the speculation, but that has not stopped the rumors from circulating around a Cowboys team that seems to collect questions as fast as it collects headlines. For now, the focus is on who can get right in time for the weekend and how much depth Dallas may need to lean on if the list keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Week 8 Backfield Question Amid Mounting Absences
Jeremiyah Love was back on the field in a limited capacity this week after missing the past two weeks with an ankle injury, giving Arizona at least a chance to sort through its backfield before the Week 8 meeting with Dallas. The Cardinals are still juggling a lengthy injury report, with nine of the 15 players listed not taking part in practice, and the team continues to manage an illness that swept through the group last week.
Head coach Mike LaFleur has been working through how Love fits alongside backup Bam Knight while the offense tries to steady itself up front. Arizonas offensive line has been a concern, and with the Cowboys coming up, the Cardinals still have plenty to clean up before they know exactly what kind of shape their backfield will be in. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Roster Moves Are Starting To Look Bigger Than Expected
A year of roster tinkering is starting to look a lot more meaningful for the Cowboys than it did when the moves were made. Between trades, free-agent additions and contract decisions, Dallas has quietly built out a deeper group of contributors, and several of those names are now showing up in real game situations rather than just on paper. Quinnen Williams, Joey Porter Jr., Otito Ogbonnia and Brevyn Spann-Ford have all given the team more than depth, which matters on a roster that has been trying to turn scattered moves into something more durable.
The encouraging part for Dallas is that these additions are not just filling space, they are giving the coaching staff more options and a better sense of what the roster can become over time. As the Cowboys keep sorting through the impact of those moves, the bigger question is how much of this recent production reflects a short-term surge and how much is the foundation for a stronger run going forward. [Read more 🡒]