With a win on Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys not only ended the New Orleans Saints 10-game winning streak, they moved up to 7-5 and gave their playoff hopes a big boost. The oddsmakers at BetDSI have updated their odds on making the playoffs and Dallas is now a sizable favorite to do so:
Will The Dallas Cowboys Make The Playoffs This Season?
Yes -240
No +200
The victory extended the Cowboys winning streak to four games but more importantly, gave them a bit of cushion at the top of the NFC East or the Wild Card spots, should they need them. At 7-5, the Cowboys are now a win ahead of the Washington Redskins and two wins ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles, who they face next week. As for the Wild Card, they are now a win better than the Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers, who are all tied for the sixth and final playoff spot.
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Taking a look at the Cowboys remaining schedule, they only face one winning team the rest of the way. They’ll host the Eagles next week, then visit the surging Indianapolis Colts, and finish the year by hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and traveling to New York to face the Giants. The combined record of their four remaining opponents is 19-26. Considering how well they’re playing right now, the Cowboys would have to mess up in the worst way to miss the playoffs completely.
What’s interesting is to also look at the other Cowboys futures. The Cowboys were as high as 60/1 to win the Super Bowl just a couple of weeks ago, but are now down to 30/1. In terms of the NFC, they are down to 10/1. What’s even more interesting is one could make the case that the Cowboys are the team with the best defense and running game combination. Dallas has allowed 18.3 points per game over the last two months. Chicago has allowed 20.9 points per game over that span. As for running the football, the Cowboys are second in the NFL in rushing offense as Ezekiel Elliott leads the league with rushing yards. He’s averaging 166.8 total yards per game over the last month, which is MVP-caliber.
Although it’s an offense-oriented league these days, defense can still win championships and the Cowboys have one of the best units in the league. They are coming off a game where they held the Saints – who had been averaging 37.2 points per game – to zero points in the first half. The Saints had 14 three-and-outs all season entering the game, but the Cowboys forced them into two in a row to start the game. They had four series on Thursday where they failed to pick up a first down.
The Cowboys also held the Saints to just 176 total yards, which is the fewest they’ve had since Week 17 of the 2001 season. If the defense continues to play like this, the Cowboys could be a threat to not only make the playoffs, but to challenge for the NFC championship.
