Another week, another loss for the Dallas Cowboys and another drop in both the division and conference standings. As bad as things feel right now, Dallas is still just a few games away from a wild card spot and over half of their schedule has yet to be played. What needs to go right in Week 9 for the team to improve?

The biggest surprise since last week’s Rooting Guide was the Cardinals’ rise to number one in the NFC West. With three teams tied at 4-4 and the Rams just behind at 3-4, it is currently impossible to name the eventual division winner. At least it doesn’t look like they’re sending more than one team to the playoffs.

Thanks to their own win over Cincinnati and help from a rival as Washington defeated Chicago, the Eagles advanced to the wild card list. Even without the Bears, the NFC North now has three playoff spots left, but Minnesota is suddenly reeling after two straight losses.

1. Detroit Lions (6-1 overall, 5-1 vs. NFC)
2. Washington commanders (6-2 overall, 4-1 vs. NFC)
3. Atlanta Falcons (5-3 overall, 5-1 vs. NFC)
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-4 overall, 2-3 vs. NFC)
5. Green Bay Packers (6-2 overall, 2-2 vs. NFC)
6. Minnesota Vikings (5-2 overall, 3-2 vs. NFC)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2 overall, 3-2 vs. NFC)

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We’re not used to our Cowboys being this far down on this list. At this rate, they could mathematically be eliminated early. With the Falcons, Eagles, Texans and Commanders having four tough games ahead of them, it’s not hard to imagine a 3-8 record before Thanksgiving.

You might think it’s silly that we’re even talking about playoff chances, but as long as it’s technically on the table, we’ll look into it anyway. But now it’s probably time to consider Dallas’ draft positioning as well.

From that perspective, the Jets’ win on Thursday was good for the Cowboys. New York improved to 3-6 and was one win away from overtaking Dallas in the race for the final spot. The Cowboys would currently be just outside the top 10 of the 2025 draft based on current rankings.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the Week 9 games and see how Dallas can benefit from them, either heading into this year’s playoffs or next year’s draft.

Giants about commanders
Jaguars over eagles

This would be a win-win situation for the Cowboys, hurting New York and Jacksonville’s draft positions while leaving Washington and Philadelphia on the playoff side. Both the Giants and Jaguars are 2-6 and would currently be selected in the top five of the draft. So this shows how quickly the Cowboys could have a great pick if things continue to go wrong.

Lions over Packers

Detroit appears to be the eventual winner of the NFC North, so more losses are good for potential wild card teams like Green Bay. Of course, it’s unlikely the Cowboys will be within touching distance of either of these teams by January.

Cardinals over bears
Rams over Seahawks

Both will help if the Cowboys end up clinching a spot in the playoffs while suffering losses to the better teams in Chicago and Seattle.

Colts over Vikings
Chiefs over privateers

These AFC wins over NFC teams would help Dallas if they could get into the wild card race. Both Indy and KC already have better records than the Cowboys, so there’s no harm on the draft side either.

Dolphins over Bills
Raiders over Bengals
Browns over Chargers
Titans over patriots
Panthers over saints

This is all about next year’s draft; Smaller teams earn victories that improve their record and hurt their aspirations for higher draft spots. Carolina and Tennessee are the only remaining teams with a win, so this would improve the Cowboys’ chances of potentially finishing in the top five or higher.