For a team that looked buried before its bye, the Dallas Cowboys have staged one of the most dramatic mid-season revivals in the league.
Their comeback win against the Philadelphia Eagles showed resilience.
Their measured, disciplined victory over the Kansas City Chiefs showed something else entirely: a team rediscovering its identity at the exact moment the playoff picture shifted in their favor.
Dak Prescott delivered another composed performance on Thanksgiving, throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns while directing an offense that kept pressure on the Chiefs from the second quarter onward.
After the game, he admitted he could not recall a better two game stretch in his Cowboys career.
“On top of where we have put ourselves and the teams we had to beat, I am not sure I have,” Prescott said. “You are talking about two organizations that know how to win, and we beat them both.”
Jerry Jones echoed the sentiment, calling the back to back wins “as good as anything I can remember here at home.”
Cowboys back in the NFC race
The Athletic now projects Dallas with a 24 percent chance to reach the postseason. That figure jumps to 51 percent with a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 14, a matchup that suddenly carries major implications for both teams.
The Cowboys have won three straight, have momentum for the first time in months, and face a remaining schedule that is challenging but manageable: Lions, Vikings, Chargers, Commanders, Giants.
Realistically, to control their own fate, Dallas may need to win all five. But even four victories might keep them alive depending on how the crowded wild card field shakes out.
Performance wise, the Cowboys have looked like a different team. CeeDee Lamb responded to last week’s struggles with a sharp seven catch, 112 yard outing, while George Pickens continued his remarkable surge with another explosive day.
Together, they punished Kansas City‘s secondary and gave Prescott the kind of firepower few teams can match.
The defense also delivered its most sustained effort of the year, blanking the Chiefs on five straight drives and holding their ground despite three fourth down conversions that kept the game tight.
Late in the fourth quarter, Prescott controlled the clock on a long possession that ensured Patrick Mahomes never saw the ball again.
Philadelphia‘s back to back losses have only fueled Dallas belief. The Eagles are now just one and a half games ahead and no longer hold the head to head advantage.
For the first time this season, the Cowboys have a path, momentum and confidence all pointing in the same direction.
There is no margin for error. But after beating two of the league’s most complete teams in four days, Dallas has given itself permission to dream again.
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