If you’re the Dallas Cowboys, this part of the season is where your Michelins have to meet the asphalt.
The good times came to a screeching halt when they consumed their own Velveeta before facing the Denver Broncos though, and they’ve been working to regain form ever since.
Quiet as it’s kept though, the Cowboys aren’t either, with their defense seeing the impactful return of All-Pro pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and the likely return of both Neville Gallimore and Randy Gregory in Week 14 against the Washington Football Team.
It’s the final stretch of what still has the chance to be a very, very special year for the Cowboys, but only if they finish their food.
The fact is they’ve been carried mostly by their defensive compatriots though, and that’s as much a salute to what Dan Quinn has been able to do, in the absence of key players and with breakout seasons from young stars like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, as it is a question mark as to what’s been preventing Prescott and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore from conducting the train without tilting on the rails from time to time.
Their effort against the Raiders ended up being a “too little, too late” type of deal, but you saw Prescott go on a tear in the fourth quarter to force overtime and nearly a win after being down as much as 11 points in the third quarter.
Oh, and stop playing musical chairs with the offensive line — one major reason for the disruption of the offense as the Cowboys try to settle in with returning players .
The importance of that looming battle can’t be overstated but Dallas can ill-afford to look ahead, with the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles still in the running for the NFC East title — if the Cowboys outright collapse in their final five games.
For example, they’ll not only need to finish strong and hope the Cardinals lose to the Rams in Week 14, and then get caught off-guard by a team like the Colts in Week 16 and/or the Seahawks in Week 18 — with the matchup against the Cowboys sandwiched in-between.
Can Aaron Rodgers, who is without sufficient protection on his blindside due to injury and is himself playing with a broken toe, run the table to end the season? Romantically speaking, many will say yes, but keep in mind the Packers lost two of their last four games going into their bye week.
Heading into Week 14, the Cowboys have a loss at the hands of the Buccaneers , the Cowboys are in great position, having a 6-1 record in the NFC.
It truly is a Royal Rumble between these four teams to determine who’ll land a first-round bye and home-field advantage, and in a postseason that now only awards a bye week to the No.
Yes, this is all complex, but the plan itself is simple for the Cowboys: mount up, sweep the division to end the season and then wait to see if the road to Super Bowl LVI will run through Arlington.
They’ve lost All-Pro defensive end Chase Young for the season, and fellow pass rusher Montez Sweat remains on injured reserve as well, the two leading the team in sacks last season to the combined tune of 16.5 on the year.
They still have weapons on offense though, headlined by a lethal receiving weapon in Terry McLaurin, and running back Antonio Gibson, who’s already rushed for 800 yards and five rushing touchdowns .
It feels like for as close as this game might be, all the Cowboys have to do is be the defensive juggernaut they’re on path to become and for Dak Prescott and the offense to finally get back to being the juggernaut everyone knows them to usually be.
Prescott is 7-1 at FedEx Field — making it his home away from home — and after seeing his offense struggle the last several weeks, if there were ever a moment to send a message that they’re still capable of boat racing teams, it’s this week and again in Week 16, against a bitter division rival who wants nothing more than to send a message of their own.
That’s probably fair, considering the Giants are once again one of the worst teams in the league and, after firing offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, working to figure out coaching responsibilities while also trying to figure out when Daniel Jones can retake the field.
Be it a less-than-prime Jones or Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm, the quarterback play for Big Blue will run up against a defensive buzzsaw that is ready to take the ball away from a team often anxious to give it away.
But, and you’ll sense a theme here, if the Cowboys offense comes alive again and the defense continues serving notice, there’s no reason they can’t put the Giants out of their misery on Dec.
You can view this as a true litmus test on if they’re ready to contend for a Super Bowl this season, and they don’t even get the luxury of calling this fight a home game.
The former NFL Rookie of the Year didn’t light up the stat line in his first game against the Cowboys, but he did use 74 rushing yards and three combined touchdowns to lead the Cardinals to a 38-10 spanking of the Cowboys on their own field.
A team that resides in the top five in both offense and defense is as formidable as their record indicates, but here’s the kicker: the Cowboys aren’t slouches in either category, either.
Despite their offensive struggles the past several weeks, Dak Prescott still leads the second-ranked offense in the NFL in points scored per game .
It’s that same defense that allowed the Cowboys to hang 41 on them in Week 3, and Dak Prescott would love nothing more than to use a healthy tandem of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb to sweep the Eagles, in addition to Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard serving up punches in the rushing attack.
Their final five games are now much too important after wetting the bed for much of November, and that doesn’t bode well for the Eagles — who will probably be in a must-win situation for a possible wild card seat.
This means the Cowboys will not only possibly need this game for a shot at the top seed, depending no how things transpire with the Cardinals, Rams and Packers, but there’s the added motivation of trying to end the Eagles playoff hopes, and in Philadelphia.