Yesterday’s victory against the 49ers may have been the biggest Cowboys win of the entire season. Despite the 49ers poor record and depleted roster, this was a team who’s rushing attack presented a huge mismatch for the Dallas Cowboys. To make matters worse, star running back Ezekiel Elliott was forced to miss the game due to a calf injury that has plagued him for several weeks now. That was not enough to deter a Cowboys team that many feel have nothing left to play for from prevailing. Yet this was one Cowboys win that had major implications for two conflicting factions of the fan base: Team Tank and Team Hope.
With Washington losing on Sunday, the Cowboys win against the 49ers keeps their slim playoff hopes alive. The Eagles and Giants also lost on Sunday so the Cowboys win takes them out of last place in the NFC East and into second place just like that. In order to win the division, the Cowboys still have to win out while Washington has to lose out in the final two games but that outcome is looking far more possible than it did even a week ago. The Cowboys have the Giants and Eagles remaining on their schedule while Washington will face the Panthers and Eagles. Washington is banged up now so Cowboy fans have good reason to start believing.
READ MORE: WHAT ARE THE COWBOYS CHANCES OF WINNING THE NFC EAST?
On the flip side of the argument, it is still highly improbable that the Dallas Cowboys win the NFC East but beating San Francisco has other implications. Before the Cowboys win over San Francisco, Dallas held the 4th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After said Cowboys win, the team is now slotted to pick 8th and could end up falling outside of the top 10 while still posting a losing record and not even making the playoffs. Those fans who are hoping for a top draft pick to trade away to a team desperate for a QB, suffered a catastrophic blow to their dream with that Cowboys win.
Besides potential draft positions, there is another problem with the Cowboys win over the 49ers along with their win over the Bengals last week. It is the manner in which the team accomplished those victories. In both of those games the Dallas Cowboys enjoyed a turnover differential of +7. While that is a sight for sore eyes among Cowboys fans that is an unsustainable ratio. Especially considering how fortunate they were on some of those turnovers for example; the butt fumble against Cincinnati. It is also worth noting that neither the Bengals or 49ers are good football teams this year and both of them were missing their starting QB’s and RB’s. The irony that the Cowboys are also without their starting QB and RB his not lost on me. All I’m saying is that if the Cowboys somehow make the playoffs the bar will have to be set much, much, higher. Quite frankly, the defense playing at their current level is not good enough to compete with the best teams in the NFC.
There is one last thing I would like to address concerning the Cowboys win against San Francisco. It is that they did it without Ezekiel Elliott and that Tony Pollard performed well in the starting role. I do want to quell any notion out there that the Cowboys are better off with Pollard than they are with Zeke. I am aware that Tony Pollard is averaging more yards per carry, has been more explosive, and has eluded more tackles. I am also aware of the Ezekiel Elliott’s contract and how paying a running back is not a prudent strategy for team building in the modern NFL. Despite those truths, I am still firmly opposed to the idea of trading or cutting Zeke in the offseason. I do support the expanding role of Tony Pollard as a complimentary back to Ezekiel Elliott. I also support the idea of drafting young running backs to provide depth and change of pace. However, I do believe that if this team does make it to the playoffs either this year or next year, that Ezekiel Elliott will be an invaluable asset to this team. I believe that since the team has already made the plunge and signed him to his lucrative extension, there is nothing that can be done to undue that deal. Therefore, trading or releasing a talented player who is considered a team leader and by doing so incurring a dead money hit against the salary cap does not improve the team for 2021. The fact the Dallas Cowboys were able to win without Zeke and without Dak Prescott is a good thing but do not make the mistake in believing that the team does not need Dak and Zeke.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode