The Dallas Cowboys managed a historic 21-point comeback against the Philadelphia Eagles, but is that enough for the playoffs? Despite the 24-21 victory at AT&T Stadium, quarterback Dak Prescott delivered a sobering message about the team’s playoff prospects heading into Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“We got to win every game at this point,” Prescott stated during the pre-game media briefing.

As reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic, Prescott made clear that the Cowboys cannot afford to celebrate their recent success.

“The Philly game doesn’t mean anything right now,” he said. “Nothing that has happened up to this point really means anything other than it has put us in position to be must-win games.”​

Against the Eagles, Dak Prescott threw for 354 yards and three total touchdowns while passing Tony Romo to become Dallas’s all-time leader in passing yards.​ However, the 10-year starter shifted focus immediately to the demanding path ahead.

“We’re not gonna necessarily just go out there and do that on Thursday,” Prescott explained. “That’s through the week, just the way that we prepare, the way that we’re communicating, we’re taking the necessary steps to get our bodies right and play our best game on a short week.”

The Cowboys sit at 5-5-1, occupying the 10th seed in the NFC playoff standings, outside the playoff picture with just six games remaining. According to FOX Sports, Dallas’s playoff odds jumped from eight percent before the Eagles game to 13 percent after the victory.

A win over the Chiefs would push those odds to 24 percent, while a subsequent victory over the Lions could bring them to a near coin-flip 49 percent.​

The Cowboys are locked in amidst CeeDee Lamb’s struggles

The four-time Pro Bowler dropped three passes against the Eagles, including a critical end-zone opportunity in the fourth quarter that could have given Dallas the lead.​

Lamb has now accumulated eight drops this season, a career high and the most by a Cowboys player since Dez Bryant had nine in 2012. What is interesting is that seven of those eight drops have come in Dallas’s two games against Philadelphia this season.​

Lamb provided detailed insight into what has caused his uncharacteristic struggles, identifying a specific mental breakdown in his process.

“It’s really just a lack of focus on my end, honestly,” Lamb revealed on the team’s website. “Just thinking of doing two before one. There’s been plenty of that going on. I’m thinking about my next move before catching the ball. There’s not really much on anybody else but myself, and I’ve never been a type to really point the finger. It’s all on me.”

Despite Lamb’s recent struggles, for now, the focus in Dallas remains singular. Win Thursday against Kansas City, then worry about what comes next. As Dak Prescott made abundantly clear, celebrating past victories is a luxury the Cowboys simply cannot afford.

Before the next kickoff, it is worth looking at how leadership shapes these high-pressure moments. That is where Champ Bailey’s thoughts on Sean Payton’s influence come in.