The Dallas Cowboys are now masters of their own playoff fate

The improbable rise of the 2018 Dallas Cowboys finds them in the driver’s seat in the NFC East with a realistic chance of making a playoff run.

It isn’t pretty all the time. In a quarter of any given game during the Dallas Cowboys’ five-game winning streak, you’re alternately shouting for joy or cursing a bad play. But you also can’t help but feel a little of that old Cowboy Magic creep into everything. Get sacked out of field goal range in the waning moments of regulation? No problem! They’ll just win the game on the only possession by either team in the overtime period.

Such was the case yesterday afternoon against the Eagles. After a relatively ho-hum three quarters, the offenses exploded in the fourth. And just when it seemed like the good luck was gone, a deflected pass bounced perfectly into the hands of Amari Cooper, who then pranced into the end zone untouched for the winning touchdown. For a run that’s had its share of zany moments, that score was simply an exclamation point.

The good news is that yesterday’s win opens a two game divisional lead with three games to go. More importantly, the season sweep of the Eagles puts that tiebreaker in the Cowboys’ back pocket if needed. Basically, the Cowboys would have to lose out and the Eagles would have to win out in order for Dallas to burp up the NFC East. For their part, the New York Giants did well to essentially bury the Washington Redskins.

Now while the Cowboys have had their share of luck along the way, they’re not winning with smoke and mirrors. Of course, the defense carries the day. Yesterday was no exception. Sure, they lost their groove a little in the latter stages of the game. But as has been the case all season, they kept the team in the game long enough for the offense to find a rhythm.

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Furthermore, there’s been a team-wide perseverance that’s been a defining characteristic of this run. The broadcaster Chris Berman used to say that nobody circled the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. To that end, the saying could be applied to the second half the Cowboys’ season. It’s not easy watch all the time, and it sure as heck isn’t good for your blood pressure, but they’re getting the job done. There’s also a certain brutality to the way they’re playing. In an age where sexy offense gets all the headlines, the Cowboys continue to hearken back to the 80s and 90s by holding on to the football and playing stellar defense.

Of course, there are some warts amidst all these wins. Dak Prescott continues to turn the ball over at a pretty alarming rate. The Cowboys cannot continue to lose the turnover battle and expect to win, especially come playoff time. The offensive line is a shell of its former 2016 self, although they’ve been game enough to battle on a weekly basis. But if All Pro guard Zack Martin’s knee injury is worse than expected, then that unit will become more of a patchwork than it already is.

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But through all of this, I don’t really expect anything to change. The games will be close. The defense will carry this thing. You will curse at your TV–probably at Dak–and you’ll run the gamut of emotions for three hours on a Sunday, maybe more. The certainty is that you will see a team giving max effort and giving themselves a chance to win, and given the state of affairs five weeks ago, this is all any fan of this bunch could have asked for.

Published on 12/10/2018 at 13:01 PM
Last updated at 12/10/2018 at 11:47 AM

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