The Landry Hat
Fansided

Why the Dallas Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC

By Christian Blood

IRVING, TX - NOVEMBER 23: Dallas Cowboy helmets sit on the goal line before the NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas on November 23, 1995. The Cowboys defeated the Chiefs 24-12. (Photo by Brian Bahr /Getty Images)
IRVING, TX - NOVEMBER 23: Dallas Cowboy helmets sit on the goal line before the NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas on November 23, 1995. The Cowboys defeated the Chiefs 24-12. (Photo by Brian Bahr /Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 15: A Dallas Cowboys fan displays a sign prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 15: A Dallas Cowboys fan displays a sign prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT /

The problem is that standings don’t win playoff games, as the Cowboys found out last year. Don’t tell me about regular-season records in the month of October – or even December.

But since we’re talking about where the Dallas Cowboys sit in the NFC playoff picture moving ahead, let’s look at recent history against the Cowboys and Eagles.

Dallas split with Philadelphia last season, but there’s more to the story than that. Philly’s win came in the regular season finale while the Cowboys played mostly backups with home-field advantage already clinched for the playoffs.

But the previous game, played on Halloween Eve at AT&T Stadium, was a Dallas victory in overtime.

Going back to 2015, the Cowboys dominated Philadelphia on Week 2 in a game that was all but a shutout with Tony Romo at the helm. Later that season, the Eagles needed overtime to beat Matt Cassel and a Dallas team that was reeling without Romo for most of the year.

In 2014, the Cowboys went 12-4 while splitting with the Eagles, both times with Romo at quarterback.

To go back further is pointless because the Cowboys and Eagles have a hard time sweeping one another, no matter how well either team is playing.

So, tell me who is so much better than the Dallas Cowboys that I can’t say that this team – again, 13-3 a year ago – is not the team to beat in the NFC.

This is not to say that the Dallas Cowboys will win a Super Bowl this year. I can’t tell you if they’ll win the NFC East or even qualify for the postseason as a wild card. For all any of us know the Cowboys may not win a single game from here on out.

Next: Five Cowboys who have absolutely disappeared in 2017

But if we’re looking closely at the NFC race as it sits right now, it’s a better-than-solid argument that the Cowboys have as good a chance as anybody to advance to the NFC Championship Game, along with one other good team from the conference. Health and experience taken into account, the Cowboys look as good as anybody in the conference, at least right now.

Home/Cowboys News