After falling behind by 17 points to the San Francisco 49ers late in the third quarter on Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys put up a valiant effort in the final 15 minutes but ultimately fell short in their comeback attempt, taking a 30- 24.

While it clearly wasn’t as embarrassing as the 47-9 blowout they suffered against the Detroit Lions two weeks ago, this was still a crushing loss for the Cowboys, who fell to 3-4 on the season and are now in serious danger of their to lose defeat. missing the NFL Playoffs for the first time since 2020.

In terms of winning the NFC East, the two teams Dallas is chasing did them no favors on Sunday.

The Washington Commanders, of course, pulled off a wild, last-second victory over the Chicago Bears, as former Cowboys receiver Noah Brown knocked down Jayden Daniels’ miraculous Hail Mary attempt with zero ticks on the clock, giving Dan Quinn’s side an improbable 18 yielded. -15 win. Washington is now 6-2 on the year.

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t need a last-second miracle to get their Week 8 victory as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 37-17, extending their winning streak to three and improving to 5-2 in the general.

The good news for the Cowboys is that they have two games left against both teams, so they have chances to get back into the mix. The bad news for the American team is that it doesn’t look like they can beat either of them right now.

If Dallas is going to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, it will likely have to be as a wild-card team. So let’s take a look at where the Cowboys stand in the NFC playoff picture.

With Dallas now preparing to take on the NFC South leading Atlanta Falcons, here’s a look at the seven teams that make up the NFC side of the postseason bracket heading into Week 9.

1. Detroit Lions (6-1, 1st NFC North)
2. Washington Commanders (6-2, 1st NFC East)
3. Atlanta Falcons (5-3, 1st NFC South)
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-4, 1st NFC West)
5. Green Bay Packers (6-2, 2nd NFC North)
6. Minnesota Vikings (5-2, 3rd NFC North)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2, 2nd NFC East)

A week ago, the Cowboys were ranked No. 10 in the NFC overall standings. But given how everything played out in Week 8, they have now fallen to 13th.

As you can see, the Eagles have moved into the final wild card slot. And they have a winnable game against Jacksonville this Sunday, although the Jags gave the Green Bay Packers all they could handle in a last-second loss in Week 8. Dallas and Philly meet in Week 10 in what has become a must-win for Mike McCarthy & Co.

As for those currently chasing No. 7, the Cowboys are behind the Bears (No. 8, 4-3), Buccaneers (No. 9, 4-4), 49ers (No. 10, 4-4), Seahawks ( No. 11, 4-4) and Rams (No. 12, 3-4).

The upcoming schedule for the Cowboys is brutal. After facing the Falcons this Sunday, they have the aforementioned date in Week 10 with the Eagles. They will then take on the AFC South-leading Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in Week 11 before their first matchup with the Commanders in Week 12.

Their only game against a non-playoff team in the next month will be their Thanksgiving Day game with the New York Giants. But if the Cowboys can’t at least get a 2-2 split over the next four weeks, their season could be over by then.

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