Dallas Cowboys Fans: Are You In Full Blown Panic Mode?
By Jason Gott
What was that on Thanksgiving, Dallas Cowboys? As I sit here waking from my tryptophan induced coma, I am finally able to start thinking clearly. And as my senses come back, I am realizing more and more the magnitude of Thursday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maybe for the first time since the Week One loss to the San Francisco 49ers, I am not sure about this team playing in the playoffs. What seemed a certainty, only a couple weeks ago, now has to be considered only a possibility. The upcoming schedule is full of matchups that has to have fan’s stomachs churning like it does after too many helpings of your mom’s broccoli casserole.
Next week, the Cowboys travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears. We all know what playing a December game in Chicago can possibly bring. And although the team is having a down year, the thought of the two wideouts for the Bears, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, going up against our secondary is enough to place you in a coma without the tryptophan.
Last year, Marshall had six catches for 100 yards against Dallas. And Jeffrey threw in five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown of his own. Regardless of this year’s struggles for the Bears, those two are still one of the scariest wideout tandems in the league.
Currently, the Cowboys rank 19th in the league versus the pass allowing 244.5 yards per game. But the last couple of weeks, the secondary has played much worse than that ranking.
Against the New York Giants, a mere two weeks ago, the Dallas defense gave up 328 yards. And although they only gave up 208 yards passing versus the Eagles on Thursday, the Cowboys’ secondary was routinely embarrassed in that game. If it weren’t for the fact half back LeSean McCoy was running rampant through our defense, do you really think the Cowboys could have held the Eagles under 350 yards passing?
After the Bears game, Dallas travels to Philly for a rematch. But after Thursday’s slaughter in Arlington, you cannot honestly say you have a good feeling about the outcome of that game? Do I believe the game will be more competitive than Thanksgiving’s massacre? Yes, I certainly do. But I still don’t expect a win there after what I saw this week.
I think the Cowboys’ offense can fix some things and can will move the ball better against the Eagles. I just don’t see this defense stopping that high octane attack orchestrated by Philadelphia’s head coach Chip Kelly.
And it’s crystal clear the Eagles’ players themselves have little to no respect for this 8-4 Cowboys’ team. After the game, McCoy commented on how he wasn’t surprised they would run the ball well against Dallas’ defense.
"“We were the underdogs by like 14, right? Dallas gets a lot of hype. I’m sure everyone took them to win. They got good players, but I said all along, we got good players too.”"
Finally, Dallas ends the season with a home game versus the Indianapolis Colts and an away game against the Washington Redskins. The Colts have the league’s top offense and passing game. Enough said. And the Redskins have already shown what they can do against Dallas. And they always finds a way to play their most hated rivals tough.
I am still hopeful this Cowboys’ team will finish strongly and find their way into the playoffs. I’m just a little more worrisome than I was before Thursday’s game. If Dallas’ loses to Chicago next week, I will then be in full blown panic mode. For now, it’s time to go eat some more apple pie in order to help me cope with my angst.