Dallas, TX
A realistic look at Cowboys’ path to playoffs: Could Dallas sneak into final Wild Card?
FRISCO — The Cowboys are tied with San Francisco as the NFC enters the stretch run.
Dallas has a better record than the Cincinnati team it prepares to host on Monday Night Football.
If this scenario had been presented back in September you would have been convinced that the Cowboys were sitting pretty.
Now?
Not so much.
Sure, this modest two-game winning streak has given the team a desperately needed jolt of confidence. It even has Micah Parsons suggesting a playoff run.
Parsons knows how to drop opposing quarterbacks. But his command of the current standings can be called into question.
The problem with having the same record as the 49ers is that 10 teams in the conference have a better record than Dallas and San Francisco at the moment. Seven teams make the playoffs.
The best path to the postseason is to win your division. The Cowboys find themselves five games behind NFC East-leading Philadelphia with five to play.
One more Cowboys loss or one more Eagles win eliminates Dallas from the division race. The only viable path is as a Wild Card. That starts with the division rivalry between Dallas and Washington.
Dallas has the head-to-head advantage here based on their chaotic win nine days ago. But the Commanders currently own a three-game lead in the win column.
Let’s say the Cowboys are somehow able to tie or pass Washington on the final weekend of the regular season when the teams next meet. That would allow Dallas to finish second in the division.
What are they up against at that point?
The NFC North is the most top-heavy division in the NFL. Detroit (11-1), leads the way followed by Minnesota (10-2) and Green Bay (9-3). Those three teams appear to be locks.
If the Cowboys edge past the Commanders — a big if — they will still trail the Vikings and Packers in the Wild Card.
Atlanta and Tampa Bay sit atop the NFC South with 6-6 records.
Seattle leads the NFC West with Arizona and the LA Rams on their heels. Both of those teams have 6-6 records.
The best-case scenario is that Dallas secures the seventh and final playoff spot in the conference. To do that, the Cowboys must pass Washington and the second-place finishers in the South and West.
A daunting task is a kind way to characterize what the Cowboys face in December. Still, going into the month with a two-game winning streak is better than the alternative.
Head coach Mike McCarthy welcomed his players back to The Star on Monday after a three-day break. After getting back into their strength and conditioning work, the players departed for their annual December visit of area hospitals.
The team is off Tuesday and has a light workout on Wednesday — McCarthy said it will be about 60-65% of a normal workout — before hitting a normal practice week on Thursday.
“I feel it’s real important to try to make this a mini-bye for what’s in front of us,’’ McCarthy said. “That’s what I’ve learned over my experience of playing on Thanksgiving, so that’s really what we’re trying to accomplish.’’
And the mindset?
“It’s great,’’ Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin said after his visit to Children’s Health in Dallas. “To come out with two wins, especially on Thanksgiving, it’s huge for our football team moving forward to give us some confidence, give us some momentum.’’
Oh, one more scenario. What happens in the unlikely event the Cowboys and Niners finish in a two-way tie for the final Wild Card spot.
San Francisco advances.
Happy Holidays.
Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.
Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN
Cowboys give back! See photos from team’s annual visit to children’s hospital
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
A 12-year-old Dallas middle-schooler ended up on the streets, where a pimp discovered her. For as little as $50, he sold her for sex. He withheld food unless she worked. She later disappeared into the state’s foster care system after suffering from depression. She attempted suicide.
A 13-year-old seventh- grader was forced to have sex with men in Houston by a pimp who hooked her on drugs. She died shortly after turning 18 from a fentanyl overdose — a few months before her abuser was sentenced to prison.
A 17-year-old Lubbock runaway was required to have sex with men in hotels and truck stops until she earned her pimp $1,000 daily. That quota meant seeing up to 20 “clients” per day. She spiraled into drug addiction.
These children have more in common than the abuse they endured — and the lifelong trauma that comes with it. Each was mandated by federal law to receive financial compensation from the pimps and pedophiles who abused them.
You can read more in-depth reporting from our media partner, The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Mavericks entered the 2026 NBA Draft with the #9 pick, the #30 pick and a fair amount of trade rumors swirling around them. After selecting Morez Johnson, Jr. at #9, things went dreadfully quiet on the trade front. As subsequent picks were made and the minutes ticked by, it seemed apparent that Dallas would be making a selection at #30 instead of packaging that pick with a veteran in an effort to move up the draft board. Any hope at picking up a young guard to help in the rebuild looked bleak.
With the #30 pick, Dallas selected Koa Peat, Adam Silver said goodnight and that was that. Except it wasn’t. As the first round of the Draft was concluding, rumors started buzzing that the Mavericks were in fact making a move. Details are still being confirmed, but as it stands, Dallas will be trading the #30 pick Koa Peat and two future second-round draft picks to the New York Knicks in exchange for Sergio DeLarrea’s services. The exact second-rounders were still being determined late Tuesday night.
Here are the details we have at this time:
Los Angeles Lakers Received: 24th Overall Pick (Cameron Carr, Baylor)
Dallas Mavericks Received: 25th Overall (Sergio de Larrea, Spain)
Phoenix Suns Received: 30th Overall (Koa Peat, Arizona)
New York Knicks Received: Cash (Lakers), two second-round picks (Mavericks), and three more second-round picks (Suns)
DeLarrea was on the radar of a number of Mavs Moneyball staffers, perhaps none more than Tyler Edsel who wrote an excellent crash course on him and what he can bring to the Mavs. To be clear, it is unlikely he is going to have a massive day-one impact on the team, but the Mavericks really needed to do something to acquire more young talent that fit a position of need. While he may not be as flashy a name as Brayden Burries (whom the Mavs skipped over in favor of Morez) or Labaron Philon, Jr. (who somewhat surprisingly slipped to #22), Dallas really needed to do bolster the guard position and they came through.
If DeLarrea’s shooting transfers to the NBA level, it would be a big boon for a team that struggled from downtown much of last season. While not an immediate impact player, Dallas did well to move up a bit in a low-cost move that keeps all of their other assets intact for what will surely be a summer of retooling via trades and free agency.
Stay tuned for updates, as it is unclear which second-round picks the Mavericks will let go of in this deal.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
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What Drake London’s new deal could mean for George Pickens
Falcons WR Drake London is now the NFL’s third-highest paid wide receiver in AAV, signing a four-year, $141 million extension with $100 million guaranteed and $35.26 million per year.
London, who is 25, is the same age as Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, and both are heading into their fifth seasons in the NFL. Pickens too was seeking a long-term contract, but the Cowboys told him and his representation that would not happen this offseason, and he instead signed his $27.3 million franchise tag that keep shim under contract for the 2026 season.
Pickens’ one-year deal on the tag makes him the 17th highest-paid wide receiver in the league in AAV. Should Pickens go out and post a year similar to his 2025 campaign where he had more than 1,400 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, a deal similar to London’s may be in the ballpark of what Pickens could seek. For reference, CeeDee Lamb is the league’s fifth-highest paid WR at $34 million annually. If Pickens surpasses him and is closer to London’s $35 million per year mark, he and Lamb would become the highest-paid WR duo in NFL history, surpassing the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who currently combine for $69 million per year. – Tommy Yarrish
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