Longshots, should the Dallas Cowboys tank the season?

With back to back losses and little hope in sight, is it time for the Dallas Cowboys to admit defeat and tank the season?

The Dallas Cowboys began this season with atmospheric level expectations. Coming off a 13-3 season on the backs of budding young superstars has a tendency to do that for you. That’s why it almost seems preposterous to suggest, less than three months into the season, the Dallas Cowboys should admit defeat. Even more preposterous is the thought that tanking may be their best chance at bouncing back next season.

But here we are.

Standing at 5-5 the Dallas Cowboys reside well outside of the playoff picture. They are far from eliminated but a playoff berth would likely involve winning out and getting some help along the way. With as many as five teams standing in their way of a wild card spot, the odds are stacked against the Cowboys making the postseason.

Wild Cards

With the loss to the Eagles on Sunday, the Cowboys have all but guaranteed the Lombardi-less Eagles the NFC East. This means the Cowboys are playing for a wild card spot. The problem there is that there are five teams in front of Dallas in that race.

Furthermore, with a 7-3 record, the Carolina Panthers essentially have dibs on the first wild card spot. That means four teams are fighting over the last playoff spot. The two teams that are best within striking distance, the Packers and the Falcons, own tiebreakers over the Cowboys, meaning the Cowboys need to have the better record to beat them out for a wild card.

If you play the odds, the Dallas Cowboys are not your play.

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Tanking

It’s typical to hear the word, “tank” when facing the disappointment of a season like this. For a team that had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations to be in the situation they are today, it’s easy to catastrophize the situation.

But all hope is not lost. The Cowboys postseason hopes may be against the odds, but it’s not unreasonable, by any means. They play the Chargers and Redskins the next two weeks. Both are possible wins. Then they play the Giants and Raiders which would likely result in a split.

That would put them at 8-6 entering Week 16. They have two tough games to end the season when they face the Seahawks and Eagles (did I mention Philly’s never won a Super Bowl?) But they get Zeke back for those two. Plus, it’s possible Philly won’t be playing for anything in Week 17, meaning they could do what the Cowboys did last season and rest everyone.

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Clearly the Cowboys need to play better than they have the last two weeks, but it’s not unreasonable to think they could be 10-6 at season’s end. It’s against the odds but not unreasonable.

Now if the offense doesn’t get back on track and if the defense doesn’t figure out a way to play all four quarters, the argument is moot. The Chargers on Thanksgiving also represent a must-win momentum changing match-up.

Basic odds say the Dallas Cowboys will miss the postseason this year, but they are far from insurmountable odds. The schedule lightens up for Dallas now and they’ll be getting Zeke back just in time for hard part at the end.

Be disappointed but don’t give up hope. Tanking? That’s not something NFL teams really do. Loosing is a disease and no coaching staff, not even the hapless Garrett, is secure enough to survive or bounce back from a tank-job.

Next: How Ryan Switzer can help replace Zeke and the running game

Be mad at the Dallas Cowboys but don’t give up on them — Because so much can still happen this winter. And stop talking about tanking…

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