The Dallas Cowboys are not expected to beat the Baltimore Ravens Tuesday night, but they will need to pull off the upset if they hope to make a run toward the playoffs.

Even in a historically bad division, Dallas is almost out of time in its pursuit of a postseason berth. With Washington and the New York Giants grabbing unexpected wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, this week, they both sit two games ahead of the Cowboys.

A loss tonight would give Dallas nine lossess with games against the Bengals, 49ers, Eagles and Giants left.

A Week 16 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and a Week 17 game against the Giants will be must-win situations.

Sitting in the basement of a weak NFC East, Dallas only has a 6% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast, as of Monday afternoon.

A win over the Ravens bumps up their postseason chances to 17%, while a loss gives the Cowboys only a 4% chance to win the division.

With quarterback Lamar Jackson expected to come off the COVID-19 list, Baltimore is a heavy favorite against Dallas.

The Giants aren’t favorites in their next three games, but all that matters is their week 17 matchup against the Cowboys,

The Washington Football Team is ahead of Dallas in the NFC East and has already swept its season series with the Cowboys.

They have games against the 49ers, Seahawks, Panthers and Eagles left. But with a Dallas lost tonight, they would only need to win two of the next four.

 

Entering the season with Super Bowl aspirations, Dallas might be the league’s biggest disappointment. A bad defense and key injuries have derailed the Cowboys’ championship hopes. Four different quarterbacks have started for Dallas.