ARLINGTON, Texas — Over a span of four days, the Dallas Cowboys ended two concerning dry spells. After snapping a five-game losing streak Sunday with a win in Washington, Dallas beat the New York Giants, 27-20, on Thanksgiving Day to earn its first victory at home since last December.
Suddenly, the Cowboys (5-7) are winners of two straight and owners of improving vibes. And does that mean the playoffs are in sight?
The team has said it wants to stage a stunning run to the postseason, but an algorithm from the New York Times still considers Dallas a long shot to get there. After Thursday’s win over New York, The Times’ playoff simulator gives the Cowboys a 1% chance to make the postseason.
While that’s a slight bump from the odds Dallas faced entering the holiday, the Times’ data still seems to think the Cowboys are staggering underdogs to get back into contention. The algorithm takes into account factors like record, strength of schedule and predicted team performance.
With star quarterback Dak Prescott recovering from season-ending hamstring surgery, the Cowboys have turned to backup Cooper Rush to lead the offense. Dallas has shown the ability to earn wins with Rush behind center, but the margin for errors remains slim.
According to The Times’ numbers, the Cowboys have about an 87% chance to reach the postseason if they win each of their final five games. But any one loss the rest of the way dips their playoff likelihood below 50%.
The Cowboys will get their next opportunity to make progress when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 9.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated the wrong injury for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. He’s recovering from hamstring surgery.