Prescott and Thomas open up about Marshawn Kneeland’s impact
Dak Prescott and Solomon Thomas reflect on the life of Marshawn Kneeland ahead of the Cowboys’ MNF matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Dallas Cowboys missed the playoffs in 2024, but they had an outside shot at winning the NFC East in 2025 going into “Sunday Night Football.”
Entering Week 15, the Cowboys trailed the Philadelphia Eagles by just a game and a half in the race for a division title. Dallas also owned a hypothetical tiebreaker over the Eagles thanks to a split in their two head-to-head matchups and a better record against divisional opponents – a 3-1 NFC East record to the Eagles’ 2-2 mark.
The Cowboys’ meeting with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15’s “Sunday Night Football” game was their first of three conference games remaining. After this week, Dallas will host the Los Angeles Chargers for its final home game of the 2025 regular season before hitting the road for two final divisional matchups to close things out.
Here’s a full look at Dallas’ playoff picture in Week 15:
Cowboys playoff odds
Dallas has less than a 1% chance to reach the postseason in 2025, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Dallas’ loss on “Sunday Night Football” really hurt their chances, and the Eagles’ earlier win in the day only further diminished the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
The Cowboys did not make the playoffs in 2024 and are looking to end their postseason hiatus after a one-year absence. If the season ended after Week 15, Dallas would be on the outside of the playoff bubble looking in. Entering the week, the Cowboys held the No. 10 seed in the NFC and sat two and a half games behind the Chicago Bears – the team holding the No. 7 seed and last playoff spot in the conference.
Dallas still holds the No. 10 seed, but it’s now three full games behind the Green Bay Packers for the final NFC wild-card spot.
Dallas won three of its last four games before a Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions on “Thursday Night Football.” With the Eagles having lost three straight games entering Week 15, the Cowboys began Dec. 14 one and a half games back of the NFC East lead. A division title still appears to be Dallas’ best shot at a playoff spot.
Philadelphia’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders pushed the Eagles’ advantage to two games, and Dallas’ loss put Philly ahead 2.5 games with three weeks left in the regular season.
Cowboys remaining schedule
The Cowboys have one of the easiest schedules in the league with three weeks left, according to the cumulative records of their future opponents. However, Dallas still faces an uphill battle to win a division title and make the playoffs with Philadelphia’s remaining schedule similarly lacking challenge.
Regardless, the Cowboys have a good chance to finish strong with only one game remaining against a team with a winning record. That team, the Chargers, is neither a divisional nor conference opponent.
Tankathon rates Dallas’ remaining schedule as the fifth-easiest league-wide. Here’s who the Cowboys still need to play:
NFC East standings
Dallas is in a two-team race for the NFC East with three weeks left. The Eagles entered Week 15 on a three-game losing streak but were still in first place in the division. The Cowboys had lost their previous game but won three of their last four before hosting the Vikings on “Sunday Night Football.” With no more games left to play between the two teams and Philadelphia still holding a comfortable lead, Dallas does not control its playoff destiny.
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 2-2 NFC East)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1, 3-1)
- Washington Commanders (4-10, 2-1)
- New York Giants (2-12, 1-4)
NFC playoff picture
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3; NFC West leaders)*
- Chicago Bears (10-4; NFC North leaders)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5; NFC East leaders)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7; NFC South leaders)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3, wild card No. 1)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, wild card No. 2)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1; wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-6); Carolina Panthers (7-7); Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)
Eliminated: Minnesota Vikings (6-8); Atlanta Falcons (5-9); New Orleans Saints (4-10); Washington Commanders (4-10); Arizona Cardinals (3-11); New York Giants (2-12)
