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A huge win against the undefeated New Orleans Saints last week. The defense dominated for three quarters and the end result was allowing the Saints to their fewest points total all season long. Tony Romo was also playing one of his best games in his career.
But this win could mean nothing if they Cowboys are unable to end the season without a playoff spot.
Everyone should rightfully feel good about beating the Saints, especially in the ways that they were able to beat them. The Cowboys controlled the entire game. Not even the most optimistic Cowboys fan could have imagined that.
Even though the Cowboys have given the fans a feeling of elation, we all must take a step back. We all know that this team is capable of letting us down, no matter how good they look.
Case in point is how the Cowboys talked before the Giants game. They sounded like they were more focused than they had ever been. I liked what I heard and I said how this team feels different from years passed. Well, we all know how disastrous that game went, even though it was only a 7 point game in the end. This game could prove to be the Cowboys’ bane of this season.
One of my biggest statements has been “if this team is different, they will…” So, from now on, I will refrain from saying that.
Many people will be worried that the Cowboys used all of their will and power on beating the Saints and they will relax and still not finish out strong. I can understand that.
That is why they need to keep this momentum going. Instead of feeling relaxed after just taking down an undefeated team, they should have the mentality that if they keep up that same will for every team they face from here on out, they have a chance to dominate.
You will be hard pressed to find a more explosive offense than the Saints in this league. There could be arguments for the Colts, Chargers and maybe even the Eagles. The Cowboys did a nice job containing the Eagles’ explosive offense earlier this season and they did a somewhat decent job on the Chargers.
The first step in sustaining momentum is visiting the Washington Redskins this Sunday. A team that had been playing well until they disappointed us in the rare case of a loss, in which they were destroyed by the Giants.
A lot of people will tell you that it is the Redskins and they always play hard against the Cowboys, so do not expect a smooth victory.
In most cases, I would feel the same way. But as I look at certain positions, the Cowboys need to punish the Redskins this time. Washington has a makeshift offensive line at the moment and look at the pressure we were able to get against a line that was not giving up much on Drew Brees all season long.
The Redskins are also on their fourth starting running back of the season. Also, Mike Jenkins is playing out of his mind this year and unless Terence Newman has another abdominal/groin tear before the game, he usually does a great job on Santana Moss.
This is not saying that it will not end up being a close game since it is a big rivalry. That would not surprise me. What I am trying to say is that the level of competition is unbalanced. The Redskins offense has some missing parts that favor the Cowboys.
The biggest issue will be facing the Redskins’ defense. They seem to be pretty healthy and the Cowboys were only able to muster up 7 points near the end of the game to beat the Redskins in Cowboys Stadium earlier this year.
But the Giants offense torched this same defense and I for one believe that the Cowboys have a better offense than the Giants.
My main point in all of this is that the Cowboys need to build off of the Saints win and they need to live up to their competition and beat a team who is struggling. There is not more time to bounce around mediocrity. You need to have a convincing win going into the final week of the season, where you really could be playing for your playoff lives.
The Cowboys do have a clinching scenario this weekend, but the Giants must lose before it goes into effect Sunday night. If the Giants do lose earlier to the Carolina Panthers, the Cowboys could clinch a spot with a win.
If the Cowboys lose one of their last two and the Giants won their final two, see you next season. The Packers could still miss out, but the likeliness of them losing their last two is not good.
So, the Cowboys need this game badly and I think that a blowout type of win are as I said, a more convincing win should help going into the final week against the Eagles.
Obviously the best way to get into the playoffs is win out. You cannot rely on getting help because as we all know, the Cowboys can never let their fans rest easy until the final game has been completed.
