The “Easy Streak” of Three
A few weeks ago, the Dallas Cowboys thumped the Buffalo Bills in a game that served as a media launching pad as it was the first time Dallas had beaten a strong opponent since the early season victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Looking ahead to the remaining schedule, Dallas appeared to have some advantages against divisional opponents as the Cowboys were looking at the next three games as some sort of easy streak in which they could pick up ground and make the playoffs.
I held to my preseason prediction that the Cowboys would go 8-8. I was not fully convinced they had corrected their error-prone quarterback and receiving corps. Even though the Cowboys would be facing three teams with losing records in the three weeks following the Buffalo game, I would not buy into the enthusiasm of the local fan base. An 8-8 season still seemed reasonable since the Cowboys had not yet played either of their two games against the New York Giants, and they still had a game to play against the Philadelphia Eagles who crushed them just a few weeks ago.
After the Thanksgiving Day game against the Miami Dolphins, however, the Cowboys are brandishing a 7-4 record, standing a half-game ahead of the Giants in the (NFC East) divisional race, which will either become a tie or a one-game lead for Dallas after the Giants play on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.
The Cowboys play the 3-7 Arizona Cardinals in next week’s game and hope to pull off the trifecta that many starry-eyed Dallas fans believed they would do with ease.
It has not been so easy however. The game against Washington went into overtime when Dallas beat the Redskins on a field goal. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins on the last play of the game with a field goal, capping off a beautiful drive by quarterback Tony Romo and the Dallas offense.
Next week’s contest will be equally challenging as Arizona has beaten the Philadelphia Eagles and played some of the league’s toughest teams very closely throughout the year. The Cowboys will have their hands full. Some easy streak!
Doing Things Right
Amateur analysts, like myself, have seen some things from the Cowboys over the last two games that are very encouraging. One of the most important developments has been the play of Romo. Often complimented because of his talent, Romo has been criticized fairly and soundly about his inability to lead the team on the field when things are not going his way.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments