Falling QBs Make of Cowboys One Of Three NFC Frontrunners
The dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, U.K., put the Cowboys back on track, and showed once again that with their starting quarterback upright (if not completely healthy) they are a powerful football team.
From the first play from scrimmage the offensive line paved the way for DeMarco Murray; then Dez Bryant took over for a monster second quarter production, and all Tony Romo had to do, was to be the same guy he has been all these years for the Cowboys: an elite NFL QB.
We could talk a lot about a game against one of the two worst teams in the league, but I prefer to focus on what’s happening in the conference right now and what lies ahead for the Cowboys. Because when Tony Romo went down against the Redskins two weeks ago, it seemed like if our dreamed season had just hit a wall.
Two weeks later, Romo is back tossing TDs like if he never got fractured bones in his back, and two of the Cowboys’ closest rivals in the conference have seen their own starting quarterbacks falling down to most serious injuries than Romo’s.
Will the Eagles be the same without Nick Foles and with much-maligned Mark Sanchez as their QB? We’ll have a glimpse of that tonight on MNF.
But the real question is if the Cards will keep the pace with Drew Stanton filling in for Carson Palmer? As of right now, word is that Palmer might be out for the season, just three days after signing a lucrative contract extension.
Life is hard in the NFL.
Nov 9, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is pressured by Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback cornerback Dwayne Gratz (27) on a 2-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter in the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Even though Peter King says that we shouldn’t count out the Cards, I can’t see them beating the Cowboys with Tony Romo and Drew Stanton as the starting quarterbacks of a possible re-match in the playoffs. Let’s just remember that with hapless Brandon Weeden as our QB, the Cowboys were right there in the game just 4 points down in the middle of the 4th quarter, and if they had converted that 4th & inches, maybe now both teams would have the same record.
So, with Tony healthy, no way that team beats us again.
Then comes Philly. Foles wasn’t actually having a spectacular year but come on, we all know good old Mark Sanchez. He’s the guy who fumble a ball after stomping himself into a butt. Yeah, you read that right. The main character of that now infamous butt fumble, will be running the Eagles offense for the next 4-6 weeks at least.
Once again, with Tony healthy, I can’t see a Mark Sanchez-led team (no matter which one) beating these Cowboys.
That leaves us with Detroit and Green Bay as the frontrunners in the NFC.
I believe the Cowboys and the Lions are very similar teams, and they have walked a very similar path to where they are now. They both have a very good quarterback, if maybe not one of the top-5 in the NFL and one of the best receivers in the game. While the Lions defense is better, the Cowboys offensive line and running game is much better.
A game between these two teams in January, may be decided by who has the home field advantage. As of right now, that would go to Detroit.
Then those relaxed Packers of Aaron Rodgers. If there’s a guy in this league that I fear, that’s Rodgers. I think he could really expose the Cowboys defensive issues. All around, I still believe the Cowboys are the better team, but Rodgers against that secondary is not a good matchup at all.
We’ll see how the rest of the season plays itself out, but today I’m liking the Cowboys chances of making a deep run in January.