Not too long ago the Cowboys were serving as the butt of jokes and appeared dead in the water as they carried a 3-5-1 record into a Monday Night Football test against the Raiders. Then Brian Schottenheimer's team surprised NFL fans by using that victory as a springboard to far more impressive ones against the Eagles and Chiefs. They now enter Thursday night's showcase against the Lions with playoff hopes that actually have a pulse. And they'll encounter a side just as desperate to keep their own postseason belief alive, setting the stage for what could very well prove to be an early-December elimination game.
How Dallas and Detroit stack up
As mentioned above, Dak Prescott's team has a new lease on life and has looked entirely different since their bye. It took a remarkable 21-point comeback against the rival Eagles to survive and the Chiefs have their own problems, but no team is going to apologize for stacking such impressive back-to-back victories. The duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens has proved to be explosive and Prescott is putting together another excellent regular season. After being clowned for the Micah Parsons deal, Jerry Jones put together a reasonably formidable defense thanks to moves at the trade deadline—further advancing his team from the fall doldrums they experienced.
The Lions, though they enter with a better record at 7-5, are barely keeping the train on the track after a disappointing Thanksgiving stumble against the Packers. Their offense has hit a rough patch and appears to be missing that special Ben Johnson magic, which has led Dan Campbell to take over play-calling duties. Those results have not been spectacular, Jared Goff has regressed from a prolonged period of MVP-caliber play and Sam LaPorta is out with an injury. At this point it seems like points must come via the athleticism of Jahmyr Gibbs or the good version of Jameson Williams.
Current NFC East Standings
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Eagles | 8-4 |
| Cowboys | 6-5-1 |
| Commanders | 3-9 |
| Giants | 2-10 |
Any path to winning the division realistically involves the Cowboys losing—at most—one more game down the stretch. Since they already have a tie on their ledger, it's unlikely tiebreakers will come into play with the Eagles so they need to post more wins.
Current NFC North Standings
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Bears | 9-3 |
| Packers | 8-3-1 |
| Lions | 7-5 |
| Vikings | 4-8 |
Detroit most likely needs to win its remaining five games to have a shot at hosting a playoff game, having lost the tiebreaker to Green Bay. That path would give the Lions the tiebreaker over Chicago if they win the season finale against the Bears.
Current NFC Playoff Picture
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| 1. Bears | 9-3 |
| 2. Rams | 9-3 |
| 3. Eagles | 8-4 |
| 4. Buccaneers | 7-5 |
| 5. Seahawks | 9-3 |
| 6. Packers | 8-3-1 |
| 7. 49ers | 9-4 |
| Lions | 7-5 |
| Cowboys | 6-5-1 |
Chance of Making Playoffs with Win or Loss
| Team | Playoff % with win | Playoff % with loss |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | 56 | 19 |
| Cowboys | 9 | 38 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Cowboys vs. Lions Impacts NFL Playoff Picture, NFC North Standings.
