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The Dallas Cowboys lost a game they should have won against the Arizona Cardinals. However, while this gives the New York Giants a chance to climb back into the NFC East race, the loss was not as bad as it could have been. In the fight for the final Wild Card spots in the NFC, all the Cowboys' main contenders fell as well.
New York Giants
Starting off with the team that Dallas is fighting for the NFC East title, the New York Giants have dropped four games in a row. That is the good news. The bad news is that, of those four losses, three were to division leaders in Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco. The good news is that Dallas can still beat the Giants and strengthen their grip on the division. Even if the Giants lose, the results of Week 13 keeps them in the race as well.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have now lost two in a row and their playoff hopes are dying by the second. They lost starting quarterback Jay Cutler for the season, and in Week 13, they lost their starting running back Matt Forte as well. The fact that the loss was to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs should tell you all you need to know about the Bears chances without their two offensive stars. Next up is a trip to Denver and then a trip to Green Bay two weeks later should eliminate them from competition.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are also the losers of two straight but those losses are not as damaging. The two defeats came at the hands of Green Bay and New Orleans, both division leaders. Next up for Detroit is a home game with Minnesota and a trip to the slumping Oakland Raiders, which should finally push them ahead of Chicago for good. They also hold the tiebreaker over Dallas.
Atlanta Falcons
Two weeks ago, it looked like the NFC South would be a battle between Atlanta and New Orleans. A loss to Houston and a win by New Orleans damages those chances with the Saints already having beat the Falcons earlier in the season. Much like Detroit, Chicago and Dallas, Atlanta sits with a 7-5 record and has Carolina and Jacksonville in the next two weeks. With Chicago falling, this wild card race should be a three-team affair, and right now, it's anyone's game.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
Source: CBSSports
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