Dallas Cowboys Must Cash in on This Season

Seasons like these don’t happen often for the Dallas Cowboys and they need to cash in on their stellar 2016 by making a Super Bowl run.

The Dallas Cowboys lost a game last Sunday, but came away winners because they suffered no significant injuries. After all, that was kind of the point in Week 17, to get out of Philadelphia healthy.

Another thing that occurred on Sunday, was the 2017 opponents for the Cowboys got set. By winning the NFC East, Dallas plays the first place team in each division in the NFC, as well as both entire West (AFC & NFC) divisions next year. The schedule was broken down here by Steven Mullenax and as you might expect, it looks like a much tougher version than this season’s slate.

That’s why this season is so important. 13-3 seasons don’t come around often and the Cowboys are one of three teams that hasn’t seen the NFC Championship game in the last 20 years! It’s a list they shouldn’t be on, one that also includes the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions.

During that span, normally sad sack teams like the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made the NFC title game and the Seattle Seahawks have become a dominant team. The Cowboys, however, are nowhere to be found.

It’s why Dallas cannot allow home field advantage to slip through their fingers and fail to make the Super Bowl. You cannot just say they will be back and better in the next few seasons because of their youth at quarterback with Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, you just don’t know. I’m guessing the Miami Dolphins thought they were going to have more shots a championship with Dan Marino too, but it never happened.

Look at what the Cowboys did just two years ago and everyone felt they were going to be perennial Super Bowl contenders, but injuries decimated their chances in 2015. It’s impossible to know what’s going to happen from year to year in the NFL, so the Cowboys need to take advantage how good they are now, especially seeing how daunting the schedule appears next season.

There’s too much parity and luck involved in the NFL, it’s a game of inches where you can do almost everything right and just have the ball fall the wrong way. In 2016, the ball has bounced the Cowboys’ way more than it has gone against him. That’s why this post season is so important for this team, we have no idea when a year like this will come around again. It would be a disappointment if this season ended in anything less than winning an NFC Championship.

Dallas needs to capitalize on this magical season with a Super Bowl run. They took advantage of a softer schedule in 2016, next year doesn’t seem as forgiving. It doesn’t matter who is leading the charge now, they are no longer rookies at this point in the year.

Next: Dallas Cowboys - Thoughts Heading into Wildcard Weekend

All the wins and statistical dominance won’t mean much if the Cowboys lose before the NFL takes sport’s biggest stage. That may sound harsh but until the Dallas Cowboys can prove they can win with some consistency, they have a lot riding on this post season appearance.

Nothing like a little pressure.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi