Let’s set the stage. The Dallas Cowboys are 5-3 after a somewhat bitter loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, who lead the whole league at 8-1. While it is still mathematically possible for Dallas to overtake their beloved rivals, the most likely way for them to get into the playoffs is as a wild card, and to hope to emulate that baseball team just down the street in the postseason. They are currently in the sixth seed for the NFC. Ten wins will probably get them to the playoffs, and eleven seems a certain ticket. So they need to do at least as well in the remaining nine games as they did in the first eight.
Cowboys point/counterpoint: Setting expectations for the Giants
