Holy moly what a game that was between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. Two bitter rivals squared off and the Cowboys were able to topple the Commanders, 34-26.
The first three quarters were tame with Dallas leading 10-9 heading into the final quarter. That’s when all hell broke loose and the Cowboys managed to escape with a win.
So, of course, now we’re going to get all the overreactions because Dallas finally won a game after losing five straight. Look out because the Cowboys are allegedly back.
Are the Cowboys back?
Simply put, the answer to that is no. But that doesn’t mean you won’t hear that for the next few days and possibly beyond after ending a five-game losing streak Sunday. All is assumed well now after taking butt-kicking each week for nearly two months. The Cowboys come out and with the help of some fluky plays and a lot of luck defeat the Commanders who have now lost three in a row themselves.
There were some positives from this game that we had not seen in previous weeks. Dallas put together a pretty good running game, as Rico Dowdle rushed for 86 yards, coming one yard shy of tying his career-high set earlier this season. But the Cowboys offense looked fairly competent for once, and it showed more so in the second half.
Ultimately, the Cowboys cannot be satisfied with what they accomplished Sunday. It was a great win but it’s a short week and they can’t have a slip-up against the Giants who are clearly on their way to a top-three pick in next spring’s draft. Dallas might not make the playoffs but these players have pride and none of them want to end the year in a non-competitive fashion.
This is a good team (so we’re told)
That’s what we’re told anyway and Micah Parsons isn’t shy about letting the world know it. He made this statement days before the Washington game, right after that bad loss last week to Houston. Well, the Cowboys came out and backed up their guy's words this week against the Commanders.
He stayed on that following Sunday’s win: "I’m not done yet. I don’t plan on tanking. If the higher-ups are looking for a draft pick, I hope that’s ruined, because we got a lot of football left to play. As long as I’m a part of this team, we’re always going to fight."
Whether anyone else believes it (we don’t) doesn’t matter. If the players and coaches in that locker room buy in then there still is the possibility of Dallas turning this season around. They’ve got the New York Giants up next on Thanksgiving then Dallas gets 10 days off before facing the Cincinnati Bengals. After that, the Carolina Panthers are on the schedule.
So, while the Cowboys more than likely will not make the postseason they sure could make things interesting down the stretch with a few games they stand a chance to win. Other than a game against Philadelphia in Week 16, Dallas might be able to win a good portion of their games the rest of the way. And after Sunday’s win over the Commanders, there is still a glimmer of hope for a playoff berth with a lot of help.
Mike McCarthy is going to save his job
Now if the Cowboys managed to run the table, that might be enough to persuade Jerry Jones into re-signing McCarthy. That seems unlikely based on how we’ve seen this team perform all year aside from one or two games including Sunday’s miraculous victory over Washington.
It’s hard to see McCarthy’s team turning things around to where it would warrant him coming back next season. It just feels like this franchise has peaked with McCarthy running the show. Don’t get it twisted, it isn’t all McCarthy’s fault the way things have unraveled but the writing is on the wall and his time seems to be up.
Sunday was a nice feel-good story, beating the rival and former defensive coordinator in their stadium. The Cowboys and their fan base needed something after losing the previous five games. They were bound to win another one, it was just a matter of when. It couldn’t have come against a better team especially since the Commanders are in the thick of the NFC Wild Card race. Yet, it probably will not be enough to keep McCarthy in Big D past January.