The Cowboys will face off against the Chiefs in Week 13 on Thanksgiving, a matchup of two disappointing teams attempting to kickstart December runs to the playoffs with a big Turkey Day win. The Chiefs, at 6-5, have a smoother ride thanks to the softer AFC, with their chances pegged at 43% by PlayoffStatus.com. At 5-5-1, the Cowboys are at 19%.
Those are slim odds, but considering where the Cowboys were two weeks ago, at 3-5-1, their chances have spiked. Two trades, one to add star lineman Quinnen Williams and the other to fill a linebacker hole with Logan Wilson, have paid immediate dividends, and the Cowboys look like a changed team, especially after Sunday’s thrilling come-from-behind 24-21 win over the Eagles.
Now come the Chiefs, playing in Dallas, two of the most popular franchises in the world, in any sport. And there will be some added juice heading into the short week of preparation: The Cowboys are being visited by the “Hard Knocks” TV crew, as the much-watched HBO show documents the in-season struggle in the NFC East.
Cowboys Welcome ‘Hard Knocks’ Crew
The crew was nosing around The Star on Monday as players came in on a day on which there was no full practice thanks to the short week. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he welcomes the production gang, and reminded reporters that he was on staff with the Jets back when the show was starting in 2010, and coach Rex Ryan gave his legendary “Let’s get a snack” speech.
“The partnership with NFL Films and the league, and the stories they tell, I think, it’s really cool. I’ve done it. I lived the ‘Let’s go get a GD snack,’ with Rex. I was there for that,” Schottenheimer said.
“I did. I got a damn good snack. I was hungry. I just told these guys, hey look, we’re proud of what we’re building here. Be authentic. Be who you are. And I think these guys do a great job of telling a story. I said, ‘The guys that play to the camera,’ and there were some who did that back in the day, I said, ‘They’re not going to use it because it’s going to come off as phony.’ We don’t change who we are. We’re proud of who we are and what we’re building. But I did tell the guys. Again, we’re used to cameras around here.”
GettyHead coach Brian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys Playoff Chances Still Lingering as Chiefs Come to Town
Ideally, of course, the Cowboys would be delivering the crew a win that bolsters their longshot playoff hopes. At this point, that’s what matters most. It won’t be easy, especially with the 49ers getting a win on Monday night against the Panthers to move to 8-4.
The Rams (9-2), Bears (8-3), Buccaneers (6-5) and Eagles (8-3) are the NFC’s division leaders. That leaves three wild-card spots to go to the likes of the Seahawks (8-3), Packers (7-3-1), 49ers (8-4) and Lions (7-4). The Cowboys will need to surpass the Panthers (6-6), and at least two other teams on that NFC docket to get into the playoffs.
The Cowboys have an outside chance of catching the Eagles in the division, but Philadelphia has a relatively soft remaining schedule.
Dak Prescott: ‘Why Not?’
For Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, that approach to the playoffs is the best one he can come up with. It’s a longshot, sure, but his mantra has been “Why not?”
“I know I’ve been saying that,” Prescott said. “I’ll probably keep saying that, ‘Why not?’ And it’s more about we’re in control, right? We’re in control, and life’s going to throw things at us, and it threw us a hell of a curveball this past week,” Prescott said. “And how are we going to respond? That’s what I was telling the team. To have a testimony we’ve got to go through a test. And this is a big test to our brotherhood and who we are, and to this organization, to us individually.
“Let’s have pride and let’s honor our brother. And if we can continue to do that, move forward carrying that light and play the way that we did tonight, why not?”
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