The Dallas Cowboys did what no one expected they could do this past Sunday…they blew out the team with the best defense in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags defense has not looked like the best in the NFL the last couple of weeks but regardless it was an impressive feat for this struggling offense against a very talented group. With the victory the Dallas Cowboys playoffs hopes are alive and well. Their record improved to 3-3 and they are right in the thick of it for the NFC East division title race.
| Tm | W | L | T | W-L% | PF | PA | PD | MoV | SoS | SRS | OSRS | DSRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFC East | ||||||||||||
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 106 | 104 | 2 | 0.4 | -2.6 | -2.2 | -5.1 | 2.9 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 137 | 117 | 20 | 3.3 | -4.3 | -0.9 | -5.4 | 4.4 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 123 | 103 | 20 | 3.3 | -1.9 | 1.4 | -4.0 | 5.4 |
| New York Giants | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 117 | 162 | -45 | -7.5 | -0.4 | -7.9 | -3.5 | -4.5 |
| NFC North | ||||||||||||
With a victory next week against the Redskins, the Cowboys have an opportunity to sit firmly in the driver’s seat for the division lead. After such a huge win where the Dallas Cowboys offense moved the ball with relative ease against that vaunted Jags D, did the Cowboys finally turn the corner for the 2018 season?
Impressive as that victory was for the Cowboys it was only one game. It is appropriate to consider the popular expression “Anything can happen on any given Sunday in the NFL.” This season alone we have seen the Buffalo Bills beat the Vikings and Titans, the Lions knock off the Patriots and the Bucs defeat the Saints and Eagles with Mark Fitzpatrick as the starting QB. Yet none of those teams own a winning record so far this season. One solid victory does not a season make and nor does it lead to a playoff berth. In order to make the playoffs, a team must play well over the course of an entire season and do a number of things successfully to demonstrate postseason worthiness. How many boxes do the Dallas Cowboys check off to qualify them as a playoff contender?
So far this season the Dallas Cowboys have not checked off many boxes. They have not been able to win on the road so far this season and they have not played very well at all in those games. The Cowboys were the better team each of the 3 games they had won this season. Conversely, they have also been outplayed in each of the 3 losses. Dallas was outplayed by the Houston Texans and yet they had several opportunities to win that game but failed to do so. Playoff teams tend to find a way to win games even if they have been outplayed. Those teams have players that step up and make big plays at crucial times to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. That is what great teams tend to do and what championship teams do but it has been something the Dallas Cowboys have not been able to do in recent years. The Dallas Cowboys have also not been able to play well for a long stretch of games, in fact they have not even been able to put together two consecutive solid performances this season. If the Dallas Cowboys are going to make a playoff run that is something that they are going to have to remedy. In order to play well consistently it is imperative to win the battle in the trenches. The Cowboys defensive line has played well this season but up until the victory against Jacksonville, the Dallas Cowboys once dominant offensive line has been struggling. The Cowboys need to get back to what made them successful in the past and that is winning in the trenches with their offensive line. Finally, in order to have a shot at the playoffs the Cowboys need to create a positive turnover differential. The Cowboys had a negative turnover differential going into the game against the Jaguars and after a great showing in that game they currently have a turnover differential of 0. In order to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs the Dallas Cowboys need to ensure that they establish a positive turnover differential the rest of the year.
The Cowboys have a long way to go yet to establish themselves as a playoff team this season but the impressive win against Jacksonville was a good first step. That was the kind of victory that can help them gain back some confidence and give them something to build upon. Especially for Dak Prescott and the offense who were in dire need of a boost after their early season struggles. It was a good win, a great win and an important win in a competitive league with so much parity among its teams. I firmly believe that there is not much that separates teams that finish with 4 wins versus teams that finish with 12 wins. Some dumb luck, an injury or two and a couple of bad calls can either get a team on a roll or plunge them into a free fall. The Dallas Cowboys may not have turned the corner yet after that victory over Jacksonville but they have a chance to steer this ship in the right direction.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
All statistics and data obtained and verified through https://www.pro-football-reference.com/