Contrary to popular belief, not all Dallas Cowboys fans are the delusional optimists the national media makes them out to be. 30 years of failure has a way of humbling a fanbase, after all. Most Cowboys fans are jaded and callused these days. Years of false hope, missed opportunities and unbridled underachievement have taken their toll.
This isn’t to say Cowboys fans have thrown in the towel and given up on the old silver and blue, it’s just many of them have finally embraced the practicality of the situation and temper expectations accordingly. So, when the entire world seems to be saying ‘the Dallas Cowboys are playoff pretenders with longshot odds of making the postseason,’ Cowboys fans responsibly accept that fact, right? Not so fast.
Playoff odds differ across the various platforms, but one thing remains constant: the Cowboys are longshots. Not just to win the Super Bowl but to even make the playoffs. It’s understandable the defending champion Eagles sit atop odds boards, but the Commanders are a staggering 15 spots ahead of the Cowboys in one playoff forecast. People don’t just think the Cowboys are third best in their division, but they think they are a distant third, just marginally ahead of the cellar dwelling Giants.
I’m usually a big believer in the betting markets and national odds makers but I’m having a tough time accepting the Cowboys are this big of long shots in 2025. Bottom 10 playoff odds? Are you kidding me? pic.twitter.com/ov23G9jirz
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) June 29, 2025
With a stacked division and brutal schedule on the horizon, Cowboys fans may accept 2025 will be an uphill battle, but even the modern-day pessimist has a tough time accepting America’s Team is destined for a bottom 10 finish. It seems as if, once again, Cowboys Nation and popular NFL opinion are at odds.
There’s no choice but to embrace the many slanderous statements headed our way. The only thing outside fans and national media love more than Cowboys misfortune is to laugh and mock the greatest fanbase in professional sports. The omnipresent nature of Cowboys Nation has a way of building that resentment. And frankly, the way the Cowboys performed last season, the disrespect is warranted.
2025 is going to be a tough season for the Cowboys and for their fans. It’s guilty until proven innocent this year, with a boatload of unanswered questions looming on the docket. Just when the fanbase finally adjusted expectations and came to grips with reality, reality went and got crazy. Suppose it’s time for Cowboys fans to revert to the old days. The days when our expectations were colossally greater than those of outside world.
Maybe it’s we that are crazy, but ya know what? I’ll take crazy this time because bottom 10 playoff chances isn’t any reality I want to accept.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Longshot playoff odds pit Cowboys fans against the NFL in expectations