At 2-7, it would seem nearly impossible for any NFL team to turn it all around and make the playoffs. There are famous examples of teams turning it around after horrible starts to still make the playoffs, such as the 1992 San Diego Chargers or 1970 Cincinnati Bengals, but they are clearly very rare. The Dallas Cowboys' latest rumors surrounding the team are based upon whether they can defy the odds and make a playoff run since Tony Romo is returning this week. But, is there any actual legit hope for them to make the 2016 NFL Playoffs?
First, let's consider what this team did a year ago with much of the same roster. The Cowboys did go 14-2, and had a healthy Tony Romo all year long. They were lead by him and a dominant running game, which worked away large chunks of time and ended drives with touchdowns more times than not.
This led to the defense staying off of the field for much of the game, and providing them an opportunity to play better than their talent suggested on that side of the ball.
After starting the 2015 NFL season 2-0, Romo got hurt during their second victory. Seven games later -- all losses -- the Cowboys' season is all but over, or so it would seem.
The latest buzz, however, suggests otherwise. Romo is slated to make his return finally in Week 11, and many wonder if the Cowboys can somehow finish the year with a 7-0 (or 6-1 at worst) run to potentially qualify for the playoffs. If they could accomplish that feat, they'd finish 9-7 or 8-8.
In the NFC East, the New York Giants are in first place at just 5-5. Behind them are the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles at 4-5. Feasibly, a 9-7 or 8-8 record could be enough to win the East, if not qualify for a wild-card spot.
But, the Cowboys don't have the most favorable schedule coming up. They have two divisional games against the surprisingly tough Redskins, and also have to play two teams with a combined 15-3 record -- the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers. That could quite easily become 2-3 losses right there, which would effectively knock them out of the race. They also play four of their seven final games on the road, which doesn't even give them much help either in this quest.
Even if Romo is able to inspire this team and improve the play of the offense immensely, it doesn't mean that they'll be able to win all or almost all of their remaining games. And even if they win five of the last seven, it likely won't be good enough to make the postseason.
You can never know for sure. The only thing to be certain of is that if they do make the playoffs somehow this year, it'll be one of the best turnarounds in NFL history -- a historic moment to marvel at.
However, that doesn't seem too likely at this point, and I'd say the buzz around is nothing more than that.
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