This year has been a wild one for the Dallas Cowboys – from their breakup with former coach Mike McCarthy in January, to the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as his replacement, to the trades for George Pickens and, later, Quinnen Williams and the infamous divorce from Micah Parsons. On the field, they’ve shown highly promising flashes and, alternately, extremely disappointing stretches – the net effect being a team that’s consistently hovered around .500 and enters Week 16 with a 6-7-1 record.
Week 16 could also mark the end of Dallas’ postseason viability. Here’s what’s at stake for the Cowboys this weekend and, potentially, for the remainder of the 2025 regular season:
Can the Cowboys be eliminated in Week 16?
Yep, and that outcome can occur with two basic results … and a remote one:
Eagles beat Commanders on Saturday OR
Cowboys lose to Chargers on Sunday OR
Eagles and Cowboys both tie
Can the Cowboys still make the 2025 playoffs?
Yes … but the path couldn’t be more narrow. For Dallas to win the NFC East – ‘America’s Team’ has no wild-card path – it must:
Win its three remaining games AND Philadelphia must lose its final three games
When did Cowboys last make the playoffs?
Under McCarthy, Dallas went 12-5 in the regular season in 2021, 2022 and 2023, winning two NFC East crowns over that stretch and a wild card (2022). The Cowboys are 13-17-1 since.
When did Cowboys last reach the Super Bowl?
A franchise that’s won five Lombardi Trophies hasn’t reached Super Sunday in 30 years. The club that won Super Bowl 30 with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders is also the last one to even make the NFC championship game.
