Feelings about the 2025 Cowboys have yo-yoed between hope and despair, wreaking havoc on our rooting system. That’s life with a team hovering around .500. At the very least, you wish Dallas would go hard in one direction or the other towards a playoff spot or a better 2026 draft pick. But we may be coasting on this roller right through December.

At the very least, Sunday’s big loss to Denver didn’t drop Dallas any further in the NFC standings. They remain in 10th place and a couple of wins behind the last wild card team, just as they were before. But remaining hopes of surging toward a playoff spot depend mightily on this Monday’s game against the Cardinals. The Broncos are an excellent team, while Arizona is far from it.

Here are the current playoff standings for the NFC ahead of Week 9

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