Dallas Cowboys victory comes with mixed emotions
By Tyrone Starr
After a second straight big win on the road, the Dallas Cowboys experienced the high of winning and the sadness of real loss.
Sunday brought all the emotions possible for your Dallas Cowboys. Facing another “must win” situation on the road, the Cowboys fought through a lot of adversity, earning a rewarding victory over a good team on the road.
They received even better news watching the landscape of the NFC East shift seismically yet all of that took a back seat to realities of life. You will need to forgive the team for not feeling any joy from things occurring on the field as rookie receiver Michael Gallup lost his brother during the game.
While something of that severity is not going to heal like the bumps and bruises experienced on the field, it is my sincere hope that the game can give him some respite while he deals with such horrible news.
Speaking of the game, while the Dallas Cowboys did win, in all honesty, you would have liked to see it be somewhat easier. Atlanta, already not exactly a juggernaut defensively, experienced a few key injuries during the game which depleted their depth. Somehow, they were able to limit the Cowboys offensively for most of the game.
The Cowboys also contributed to their own limitations, as receiver Cole Beasley dropped an easy touchdown catch, lineman Maliek Collins dropped an interception and kicker Brett Maher missed an extra point.
Still, this team did what it needed to do, especially in crunch time to secure the win. That victory means a lot more in the grand scheme of things for several reasons.
First, as we’ve discussed several times and likely will continue to mention, the Cowboys room for error is razor thin. At 5-5 and seventh in the NFC, Dallas needs to bank as many conference wins as possible. This is especially so when you see that Seattle and Carolina both hold tiebreakers over them, they have a loss to Washington as well and New Orleans is on the horizon.
Secondly, and likely most important, this win makes Thanksgiving Day huge. Not only did Washington lose Sunday, they lost their quarterback for the season. With an already decimated offensive line and a short turnaround time in front of Washington, the Cowboys need to capitalize. A win and all of a sudden, they are tied for the division lead with a better divisional record.
Lastly, the win over Atlanta represents the first time Dallas was able to string together back-to-back wins since weeks 14 and 15 of last season. Things suddenly seem to all be breaking in the right direction for the Dallas Cowboys (no pun intended).
Washington is ravished by injury offensively and so too is Philadelphia defensively. Washington has four of their final six on the road. The Eagles still have two games against Washington, along with dates at Dallas and the Rams.
Given how hurt these two teams are, you can’t even really dismiss the Giants after they put together two straight wins as well. At 3-7, however, they are on thinner ice than Dallas is and still have the Cowboys, along with the Eagles, Colts and Bears on their schedule.
Back to the Cowboys, Thanksgiving absolutely represents another must-win game. Their previous matchup with Washington is one they should have won. Given the trajectory of Washington’s season since that fluke win four weeks ago, the Cowboys should win this one as well. That does not mean that the Cowboys can come in with an air of confidence, however.
Four years ago, the Cowboys sat atop the NFC East at 6-1 with Washington coming to Cowboys Stadium employing a backup quarterback. The 2-5 Redskins pulled off the upset, winning 20-17. That backup quarterback Thursday will be the same guy at the helm back in 2014. Enter Colt McCoy, aka Cowboy killer?
In his only two starts versus Dallas, McCoy has fared quite well. In 2014, he only had four balls hit the ground, came up one yard short of 300 and managed the victory. Two years ago, he came in on mop-up duty and went 7 for 11 for 128 yards and a TD.
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The Cowboys will undoubtedly be coming into this game with heavy hearts due to Gallup’s personal anguish. They still need to keep that must win edge to them as well and do what is necessary re-enter into the playoff picture. I’m confident the defense will come to play. I think the offense knows what they need to do as well.