It hasn’t been a bad NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys, but then again, it hasn’t exactly been good. In fact, it’s been about as middle-of-the-road as you can get, as America’s Team heads into Week 15 with six wins, six losses, and one tie… a winning percentage of exactly .500 percent.

How to Watch

Watch Sunday Night Football on NBC and streaming on Peacock. 

That said, it’s not too late for the ‘Boys to turn things towards the positive, but it all starts this week on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock against the 5-8 Minnesota Vikings (who still technically have a 1 percent chance of making the post season themselves). We’re not saying it’s going to be easy, but we’re saying there’s a chance, so read on to find out how the Dallas Cowboys can still make the NFL playoffs this year.

Related: Why Are the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys Called America’s Team? The Nickname, Explained

Here’s how the Dallas Cowboys can still make the 2025-26 NFL playoffs

After their Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys currently find themselves in 10th place in the NFC playoff race, with only seven playoff participants on that side of the bracket. So they’ve seemingly put themselves in a pretty good hole, but it’s not a hole they can’t dig themselves out of. That said, they’ll need some help in the digging department.

The first step towards securing a coveted playoff spot is to start winning, and to not stop. Easier said than done, of course, especially since Dallas’ defense is giving up 29.7 points per game, which is second to last in the NFL (only the Bengals are giving up more points per game this season). They’re also going to need some teams to start losing, particularly the defending Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, who currently occupy the top spot in the NFC East with an 8-5 record. If the Birds lose three of their remaining four, though, and the Boys win out, the NFC East is still within reach. And as unlikely as that seems, it’s pretty much the Cowboys’ best bet, albeit not their only bet.

The Cowboys also have a chance to claim one of the NFC’s Wild Card slots, reserved for the three NFC teams with the best records that don’t win their division. Those slots are currently filled by the Seattle Seahawks (10-3), the San Francisco 49ers (9-4), and the Chicago Bears (9-4), with the Lions (8-5) and Carolina Panthers (7-6) hot on their heels. So the Cowboys will need those teams in front of them to do some serious losing, while they do some serious winning.   

Of course, it all starts this week on Sunday Night Football. According to the NFL, if the Cowboys beat the Vikings in prime time on NBC and Peacock, their current chances of securing a playoff berth rise from 11 percent to 15 percent… granted those chances drop to 3 percent if they lose. So stay tuned! 

RELATED: The Dallas Cowboys 2025-2026 NFL Schedule: Everything to Know

How to watch the Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football?

You can catch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys Sunday Night Football game exclusively on NBC and Peacock. ​The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 14, live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Before that, be sure to tune into Football Night in America, recapping the day’s NFL action and previewing the Sunday Night Football matchup.Â