Dallas Cowboys won’t make the playoffs if these five things happen

The Dallas Cowboys have missed the playoffs the last four seasons. The odds of them ending that streak this year aren’t great. On Tuesday, I listed five things that need to happen for the Cowboys to make the playoffs. Now, I’ll list the five things that will keep them from reaching the postseason.

1.) If they lose Tony Romo for an extended period of time. Romo had two back surgeries in an eight-month period and has been limited during OTAs. The Cowboys are being extremely cautious with their 34-year-old quarterback. Will he remain healthy when opposing defensive ends are trying to put him on his back? If he doesn’t, the Cowboys are in big trouble. Even if Kyle Orton decides he wants to be Romo’s backup for another season, the playoffs are a long-shot without the franchise’s highest-paid player.

2.) If the defensive backs have a repeat performance. Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr struggled a year ago. J.J. Wilcox and Jeff Heath weren’t the answer next to Barry Church at safety. Carr and Claiborne need to be more productive during their second season in the Cover-2 scheme. Wilcox, Heath or Matt Johnson need to make some plays on the back end. If the secondary can’t cover and get off the field on third down, it could be a very long season.

3.) If Tyrone Crawford, Henry Melton and DeMarcus Lawrence don’t lead the defensive line in snaps. Those three are Dallas’ best chance at a quality pass-rush. I’m not sure the Cowboys are talented enough to successfully replace DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher if Crawford, Melton and Lawrence aren’t leading the charge. Marinelli worked wonders with players off the street last season, but he needs 16 games out of his top three pass-rushers.

4.) If any of the other NFC East teams have a breakout year. The Cowboys have been in the playoff picture late in the season the previous three years largely because the NFC East hasn’t been a very good division. Since 2010, no team in the East has finished better than 10-6. Dallas would likely need at least 10 wins to get a wild card spot, so winning the division will again be their best chance. Philadelphia is probably the favorite in Chip Kelly’s second season, but New York and Washington could easily have bounce-back years. The Cowboys need all three to be mediocre at best.

5.) If they continue to be plagued by injuries. This team is not deep. They need their starters on the field as much as possible. They’ve been among the league leaders in injuries over the last two seasons. That trend has to change if the Cowboys are going to have any chance at making the playoffs. Obviously, kicking off OTAs by losing Sean Lee for the season was not a good start.