A Cowboys run to the playoffs? Dak Prescott says, ‘Why not?’

FRISCO, Texas — When Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after the 33-16 win versus the Las Vegas Raiders that the team would continue to honor Marshawn Kneeland, it had little to do with moments of silence, or decals on the back of a helmet, or a T-shirt with the likeness of the defensive end who died Nov. 6.

It had to do with winning games.

The Cowboys’ playoff chances will come down to how they fare in the next three games.

In the span of 12 days, the Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2), followed by a Thanksgiving visit from the Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) and a Dec. 4 visit to the Detroit Lions (6-4).

ESPN Analytics gives the Cowboys a 44% chance to beat the Eagles, a 35% chance to beat the Chiefs and a 35% chance to beat the Lions.

«We’ll find out a lot about ourselves,» Schottenheimer said. «But I’m the guy that wants to play the good teams. I want to play the good teams and find out where we truly are. And I do think it’s fair, the question is fair. We’ll know a little bit more in the next whatever it is — 12 days, 11 days — where we stack up in the league. I think we’ll answer that question in a very positive way.»

Winning two of the next three would seem imperative and the games are against the defending Super Bowl champion, the defending AFC champion and the team with the best record in the NFC last season.

If the Cowboys are 6-5-1 with four games to play after this upcoming stretch, they will have a chance.

To be clear, the Cowboys have yet to post back-to-back wins this season and have not beaten a team with a winning record since Week 16 last season (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

But the emotions of winning 12 days after Kneeland’s death and how they played — the defensive effort, allowing season lows in points (16) and yards (236) and Dak Prescott throwing four touchdown passes — has them thinking anything is possible.

Prescott is saying: «Why not?»

«And I know I’ve been saying that, [and] I’ll probably keep saying that, ‘Why not?’ And it’s more about we’re in control, right? We’re in control, and life’s going to throw things at us, and it threw us a hell of a curveball this past week,» Prescott said. «And how are we going to respond? That’s what I was telling the team. To have a testimony we’ve got to go through a test. And this is a big test to our brotherhood and who we are, and to this organization, to us individually.

«Let’s have pride and let’s honor our brother. And if we can continue to do that, move forward carrying that light and play the way that we did tonight, why not?»

Finding a path to the postseason is tricky at the moment.

Normally the easiest path is winning the division, but Philadelphia has a 3½-game lead. If the Cowboys want to win the NFC East to make the playoffs, winning Sunday is a must, but it also would require the Eagles to fall apart down the stretch.

The Cowboys also have only three games against teams with a winning record, but the 5-5 Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes, are also on the schedule for Thanksgiving.

The wild-card route is no sure thing either.

At 4-5-1, the Cowboys are 10th in the NFC standings. The top seven teams make the playoffs, and the Cowboys lose head-to-head tiebreakers with the Chicago Bears (7-3, currently leading the NFC North) and Carolina Panthers (6-5).

Arizona Cardinals, further hampering a potential wild-card run.

And maybe there should be another caveat to Monday’s win, although it might be unfair. It was the Raiders, who are 2-8 and fading fast. They were undermanned on the offensive line. Their defense could not stop the Cowboys when it was still a game.

In some ways, the feeling is similar to when the Cowboys beat the then-winless New York Jets. The Cowboys were 2-2-1 after that game with a chance to get above .500 — only to be beaten by the Panthers.

«This is more about us,» Prescott said. «We go in each and every game saying, ‘It’s about us.’ And [the Raiders win is] an example of that, it was a dominating win.

«Sure, I understand that they’re struggling. But if we play that way, I don’t care who it is, the score might not be that big, [the] margin might not be that way, but there’s no reason that we can’t be confident and feel like we’re going to come out on top if we can play with that same intensity and effort.»