Troy Aikman unveils lukewarm feelings on potential for Cowboys to climb into playoff

The Dallas Cowboys got a must-win game in Las Vegas on Monday Night Football, looking good doing so. Both sides of the ball played well, with Dak Prescott showing out and the new-look defense putting together plays. This led ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt to ask Troy Aikman if it’s “reasonable” to believe Dallas could make a push to the playoffs.

“Reasonable might be a stretch right now,” Aikman said. “… The real tests are ahead of them, as we know. They could certainly get on a run. They’ve got to get to 10 wins, is what you got to look at. They don’t have any margin for error, this was a game they, obviously, had to win. They’ve got to win next week against Philadelphia.”

Aikman is not kidding about the tests. He mentioned the Philadelphia game, which takes place at AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Then, it’s back-to-back Thursday games with Kansas City on Thanksgiving and Detroit in primetime. Weirdly enough, the last two are not currently in playoff positions but are certainly expected to get there.

If there is any chance of Aikman’s answer turning into a “yes,” he believes it will be because of the defense. Improvements were made during the trade deadline and a few players are back from long-term injuries. Aikman sees a path to Dallas competing over the next three games in the defense plays well.

“They’re better on defense,” Aikman said. “I mean, you put Quinnen Williams on your defense, you’re going to be better. And then with Logan Wilson and the others. DeMarvion Overshown, he’s going to be getting healthier again as he goes through and gets in better playing shape. This defense, if they just get to the middle of the pack, they can go out and they can compete against Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Detroit in those games, regardless of where they’re being played at.”

Of those three, the Lions are the lone road game. The Eagles and Chiefs are heading to Arlington for two intriguing matchups, ones that can either continue on the outside shot of getting into the playoff field or completely squash hope.

For now, the Cowboys are going to enjoy the win out West. This is still a difficult time for the franchise after the loss of Marshawn Kneeland during the bye week. Everyone inside the locker room appears to be playing for him, hoping to get more than 17 games.