Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys Are On the Right Path

The Dallas Cowboys are playing on an elite level. After an overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas avoided the trap game and beat the winless Cleveland Browns to prove they’re in it to win it all.

After the Dallas Cowboys overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the belief was the Cowboys would over look the winless Cleveland Browns and focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dallas dominated the hapless Browns in a 35-10 beat down and proved they can beat any team, even after winning an emotional game over a divisional foe.

The Browns game had all of the trappings of an upset, a winless team with nothing to lose and a classic showdown with Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers the following week.

The victory over the Browns told us two things about the Cowboys:

This team can perform at championship level after an exhausting win.
They take no teams for granted, even the lowly ones like the Browns.

Dallas had every reason to take the Browns game as a joke. Heck, this team could of played sloppy for three quarters and still won. The critics would of had a field day and proclaimed the Cowboys as a pretender.

Nope, not this particular team. Dallas clicked on all cylinders. That’s why the Cowboys are on the right path as one of the best teams in the NFL, and maybe the favorites to be playing well into January.

Beating the pathetic Browns is nothing to brag about by any stretch, but it was viewed as “trap game” for the Cowboys. And Dallas proved otherwise.

Dallas didn’t have an emotional hangover from the Philly game. In fact, Dallas played one of its best games of the season on both sides of the ball.

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To avoid the a speed bump game, the Cowboys jumped on the Browns from the beginning and never took its foot off the gas pedal.

Rookie Dak Prescott rebounded from last week’s mediocre performance and passed for 247 yards, on 21 for 27 pass attempts, three scores, and zero interceptions.

Dak mechanics were better as he set his feet to throw perfect pass after pass.

Dak found Jason Witten repeatedly throughout the game to give the future Hall of Famer his first 100 yard receiving game in over two years.

What impressed me the most about Dak was his ability to see what was developing down field and finding Witten on several plays. Dak showed he’s maturing as he stayed in the pocket on a 3rd down blitz and hit Cole Beasley for a first down.

Dak was impeccable and made all of the proper reads. If not for the officials missing pass interference calls on the Browns corners, Dak would have completed more passes.

Instead of over looking the Browns, Dak played with laser-like focus and continued to exhibit poise, learning from the previous game mistakes. There were no interceptions in the red zone or holding onto the ball to long.

Dak made a veteran move when he held Browns’ safety Ibraheim Campbell with his eyes, and Dez Bryant had a step on Joe Haden. However, Haden grabbed Dez’s left arm as Dez reached for the ball with his right hand. Of course, the officials missed it.

It’s proof Dak is growing as a young signal caller and he continues to improve each and every game doing the little things.

Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best running backs in the NFL, as he continues to play like an All Pro. Zeke rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, toying with the Browns defense all afternoon.

I don’t normally give head coach Jason Garrett any credit, but he deserves it because his team was beyond prepared for the “upset alert”. The Cowboys played disciplined football most of the game, except for defensive lineman David Irving getting ejected for fighting with Browns center Cameron Erving.

This Dallas defense is improving every game, especially the front four, as it recorded four sacks against the Browns. Second year linebacker Damien Wilson played a good game, along with Anthony Hitchens as both of them shared a sack.

That sack came on a blitz by defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who rarely blitzes. It further shows how serious the Cowboys were in defeating the Browns and avoiding an upset.

Also, Marinelli was very aggressive with getting sacks. Marinelli devised a scheme that allowed Cedric Thornton, Jack Crawford, and Maliek Collins to attack the Browns offensive linemen on the inside. Crawford and Thornton attacked one way and it opened up a lane for Collins to sack Cody Kessler.

This type of aggressiveness is a sign the Cowboys want to win at all cost, regardless of how bad the opponent might be.

Dallas was supposed to lose to the Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and lose a “trap game” to the Cleveland Browns.

Next: 5 Reasons Tony Romo Shouldn't Play for the Cowboys Again

Neither has happened because the Cowboys are focused and taking no team for granted.

That’s the reason Dallas is on the right path to a successful season.

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