2026 Week 9 rooting guide for Cowboys fans

After their newest catastrophe versus the Cardinals, the Dallas Cowboys feel more like a charity case than a competitor. As fitting as a traditional Jim Mora “Playoffs ?!” meme feels at this point, Dallas is still mathematically alive in both the NFC East and the Wild Card image. If they do in some way turn things around this season, what else requires to go right to make a postseason look possible?

Our Week 9 rooting guide is for those still hopped up on hopium. Due to the fact that Dallas most likely will not have its own first-round choice in 2027, so rooting for draft position simply isn’t as enjoyable or fascinating. We’ll turn over to that once it’s plainly the only course worth thinking about.

Existing 2026 NFC Playoff Standings

1. San Francisco 49ers 6-1 (4-1 vs NFC)
2. Minnesota Vikings 6-1 (4-1)
3. New York City Giants 4-2-1 (2-2-1)
4. Carolina Panthers 3-4 (3-3)
5. Chicago Bears 6-2 (4-2)
6. Detroit Lions 5-2 (4-1)
7. Green Bay Packers 5-3 (4-3)
_______________________________
8. Seattle Seahawks 4-4 (1-3)
9. Los Angeles Rams 4-4 (2-2)
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-5 (3-2)
11. Atlanta Falcons 3-5 (3-3)
12. Arizona Cardinals 3-5 (2-4)
11. Dallas Cowboys 3-5 (2-4)

Thanks primarily to head-to-head losses, the Cowboys are at the back of the pack of 3-5 groups. That’s rapidly remedied if they can begin accumulating some wins, however it does make the existing wild card photo appearance rather complicated.

Luckily, the climb in the NFC East isn’t so high. The Giants’ lead isn’t that terrific, particularly as their schedule will stiffen up. It just takes a number of weeks for department contention to feel extremely possible, and the state of mind around here to alter.

Much of that depends upon this Sunday, naturally. If the Cowboys can’t even put down the Colts, who’ve currently begun selling possessions in a clear surrender of this season, then it will be time for them to think about a comparable course. With the trade due date on Tuesday, it will be a significant choice point for the front workplace regarding how it wishes to treat this existing season and the future of the franchise.

If Dallas can do its part in Indianapolis, what else can we root for from the Week 9 schedule?

While we do not desire Philly or Washington all of a sudden ending up being issues for us in the department, New York and Los Angeles are larger fish to fry. Undoubtedly, we desire the G-Men to begin taking losses and ending up being simpler to capture. We likewise do not require the Rams unexpectedly discovering themselves and staying a barrier to a prospective wild card area.

Plus, while Dallas most likely will not be preparing ahead of the Eagles or Commanders in the 2027 preliminary, we definitely would not mind viewing as far down the draft order as possible.

Both of these matches include a group that Dallas has actually lost to this season, however we’re treating them in a different way. Arizona does not look like a danger to compete later on this year, while Seattle might quickly stay an issue in the wild card race. The long video game prefers a Cardinals disturbed here.

Tampa Bay, on the other hand, does have some remaining power when Baker Mayfield returns. And with the Bears at 6-2, they’re most likely not going to fall under Dallas’ variety in the wild card. They’re still the feasible preferred to win the NFC North.

What a week for the AFC to do us some favors. These are all NFC groups presently ahead of Dallas in the standings, so a wave of AFC wins would be most welcome.

Approved, even if Dallas gets its things together, we’re most likely not touching the Niners, Vikings, or a couple of other frontrunners come January. When there are no discomforts from the AFC groups’ success, we’ll take any gains we can get.

The Green Bay-New England video game is of included interest since of 2027 draft ramifications. If Dallas winds up utilizing the Packers’ first-round choice next April, which is extremely most likely, we definitely desire it as high in the order as possible. We’ll happily compromise the worth of the seventh-round choice that the Patriots owe us, too.

This heavy interconference slate complete the week in regards to Dallas’ rooting interests. The Steelers are on their bye, so we’ll examine back in with them and the fourth-rounder they owe us next week.

We’ll likewise see what occurs with our own wacky group this Sunday, and how that forms our rooting guides moving forward.