The “good” Dallas Cowboys appear, do something they haven’t all season

To the surprise of probably everyone, the Dallas Cowboys tore apart the semi-hot Rams and finally beat a team with a winning record.

To start, where has this Dallas Cowboys team been all year? Sure, the first three weeks of the season were an absolute fireworks display, but it was known even then that they were playing the dregs of the NFL. Once the level of competition rose, the winning declined dramatically. In fact, prior to yesterday’s contest, the Cowboys had managed a truly alarming 3-7 record in their previous ten games.

Take the games against Buffalo and Chicago into account. The Cowboys started each game strongly, but then immediately faded until each one turned into an embarrassing loss. At 6-7, they seemed lost and completely demoralized. Couple that with a Rams team coming to town that had won three of their last four, and four of their last six, and the stage was set for further disappointment.

If anything, yesterday’s 44-21 demolition of the Los Angeles Rams only proves how much of a week-to-week proposition the NFL is. Last week, the Cowboys were roadkill. Today, they’re back in a first place tie in their division, but they’re also in the catbird’s seat in regards to their playoff destiny. Sure, it’s a 7-7 record, but in a league in which you’re only as good as your last game, you have to feel better about what you saw yesterday afternoon.

It’s maddening, but for all their flaws, the Cowboys do have this club in their bag. When they’re not busy beating themselves, they have the ability to not only hang with good teams, but defeat them pretty soundly. And in this case, they did so in dominating fashion. Make no mistake, yesterday’s win was no fluke. They thoroughly dismantled a team that had to have that game. It doesn’t follow any logic, so it doesn’t make much sense, but here we are.

More from Dallas Cowboys

• Dallas Cowboys Linebackers: 2023 Position Overview
• Ballhawk University: Why the Cowboys will be takeaway leaders
• Dallas Cowboys Player to Watch: Sleeper TE John Stephens, Jr.
• Dallas Cowboys: The impact of Micah Parsons and a well-rounded secondary
• Dallas Cowboys still unsure about their left guard position for 2023

Also, consider the early errors the Cowboys needed to overcome from the coin flip onward. They won the toss and chose to kick instead of using the word “defer”, which would’ve had them kicking again in the second half. That is, until someone stepped in and chose to take Dak Prescott’s late correction as the Dallas choice, thereby giving them the second half kick. Then, as if on cue, new kicker Kai Forbath promptly launched the opening kickoff out of bounds, which gave Los Angeles the ball on their own forty. Thankfully, the Rams were just as futile on offense in the early stages of the first quarter, so they couldn’t take advantage of the unforced errors. It would come back to haunt them.

Once the Cowboys got their bearings, they bore a striking resemblance to the team that lit up September. They scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives–two of which were 90 yards or more–essentially salting the game away by halftime. Better yet, the offensive line asserted their dominance and opened holes for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Granted, the Rams aren’t good against the run. But when you have two backs go for over 100 yards each, it’s a nice little measure of revenge for the way Los Angeles lit up the Cowboys in the divisional playoff round last year.

So who knows? Maybe this team can heat up a little. Is it a foregone conclusion? Of course not. But we do know that the Cowboys match up well against the Eagles. More importantly, Dak Prescott’s 17-5 record against his divisional bunk mates absolutely owns the NFC East.

So as unexpected as yesterday’s victory was, it’d be way less surprising to see Dallas travel to Philadelphia and clinch the division next Sunday afternoon. The only thing left to see is whether or not the “good” Cowboys decide to show up.

• Published on 12/16/2019 at 12:01 PM
• Last updated at 12/16/2019 at 11:49 AM