COLLINGWOOD fans will be channelling Lloyd Christmas from Dumb & Dumber all this week – because we're telling you there's a chance.

But even for the Miracle Magpies, playing finals this year looks to be out of reach.

Carlton's gutsy win over West Coast on Sunday has left the Pies four points and 10.6 per cent behind their great rivals in the race for eighth spot.

Craig McRae's side is one of four who could finish the year on 52 points, but its percentage of 100.1 is far worse than those of Carlton (110.7), Hawthorn (111.8) and the Western Bulldogs (123.8).

It leaves the Magpies needing a host of unlikely results to go their way next weekend to keep their premiership defence alive.

First task is to beat Melbourne at the MCG on Friday night. If they tick that off, they would also need the Blues to lose to St Kilda on Sunday afternoon. That's when the margins of victory would come into play.

With the Blues the closest to them on percentage, the Magpies would need to make up a combined 200 points in their win over the Demons and Carlton's loss to St Kilda to have any chance.

So, if the Pies beat Melbourne by 100 points and the Blues lose to the Saints by 100, the great steal could be on.

As unlikely as those results would be, even that may not be enough. If Fremantle beats Port Adelaide in the final game of the round, percentage would become irrelevant, and the Pies would be out.

It technically isn't over yet, but surely not even McRae's miracle workers could pull this off.