With their Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys have dropped to third place in the NFC East.
They’re heading into the bye week with both health issues across the roster and disappointing performances on the field.
To make matters worse, Dallas may have to watch the Commanders and Eagles add more wins to their records while they take the week off.
As bleak as things seem for Cowboys Nation right now, the reality isn’t as bad as it could be.
Despite the recent setbacks, they’ll still be 3-3 after the bye week, and within striking distance of the division leaders.
At worst, they could be 2.5 games behind Washington, but they still have two games left to play against both the Commanders and the Eagles. Plus, the Cowboys remain undefeated in NFC East matchups so far.
It’s been easy to wallow in frustration and vent this week, and that’s probably been emotionally healthy for many fans.
But even if the Commanders and Eagles extend their lead over Dallas this weekend, there are still eleven more games left in the season, giving the Cowboys plenty of time to turn things around.
We’re expecting wins for Washington and Philadelphia in Week 7 because of their upcoming matchups.
The Commanders will be hosting the Panthers, and despite a brief period of improvement when Andy Dalton took over for Bryce Young at quarterback, Carolina is back to losing big and seems to be vying for the top pick in the 2025 Draft.
Washington should have little trouble advancing to 5-2 this Sunday.
The Eagles’ task is slightly tougher. The Giants have shown some fight over the last two weeks, even pulling off a surprising road win in Seattle.
Meanwhile, Philly struggled to put away the Browns last week despite coming off their bye.
The offense did look sharper with A.J. Brown back in action, but the game was much closer than expected, and Nick Sirianni’s antics are starting to resemble those of a heel wrestler’s manager.
Bye weeks can be unpredictable. We tend to think of them as opportunities for rest, recovery, and time to fix issues.
That’s certainly what the Cowboys are hoping for this week. However, it’s well-documented that some teams struggle after a bye, falling out of their regular rhythm.
This is especially true for undisciplined teams, and the Eagles have been showing signs of that under Sirianni.
So while the narrow win over Cleveland might raise concerns, it could also be a symptom of the bye week disruption.
How the Eagles perform against the Giants this Sunday will be a much clearer indicator of just how formidable they are this season.
