IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys had a shot to win three straight games but Monday's dismal loss to the Bears ruined that idea and bumped them out of first place in the NFC East.
So now, if the Cowboys want to win the division and make the playoffs, it's likely they will have to pull off that elusive three-game winning streak to end the year.
It's not the only way to get into the postseason. But even the Cowboys know it's the most realistic, as daunting as it sounds.
"We've got to win out," Tony Romo said after the game. "We need to do that. I think we have that mindset. That's our approach. That's been our approach the last couple weeks. We felt like we needed to win."
The Cowboys are 7-6 and a game behind the Eagles, who jumped into first place at 8-5. With three games remaining, the Cowboys will face Green Bay, Washington and Philadelphia to end the year.
While it's possible the Cowboys could 2-1 as long as one of the wins is against the Eagles on Dec. 29 at AT&T Stadium, it's not looking likely Philly will lose two straight games when they've won five straight already. [embedded_ad]
"We can't sit around and wait for Philadelphia to lose," cornerback Orlando Scandrick said. "We've got to win them all at this point. That's the only mindset we can have."
If the Cowboys have something on their side, it's the tiebreakers. Having beaten the Eagles 17-3 back on Oct. 20, along with a 4-0 NFC East record, the Cowboys have the top two tiebreakers against the Eagles.
Philadelphia travels to Minnesota this weekend and then faces a Bears team that ripped the Cowboys 45-28 on Monday night.
But the Cowboys still control their own fate when it comes to the division. No matter what happens in Philly, the Cowboys can win the division by winning three straight games.
The Cowboys have won two straight twice this year, including the Raiders and Giants just before this last loss. And they also beat Washington and Philadelphia in consecutive weeks back in October.
Washington and then Philadelphia. That back-to-back dynamic has been done already and it's likely something the Cowboys need to do again, coupled with a Green Bay win this week as well.
