For the Dallas Cowboys, the season is far from over

Despite unfortunate events, the season for the Dallas Cowboys isn’t over yet

It is a difficult time to be a Dallas Cowboys fan right now. All offseason, people were talking about just how good the team would be this season. The offense looked better than last season, and the defense was supposed to turn everything around.

In reality, the defense has fallen apart, countless severe injuries struck the team, and quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the remainder of the season. I can’t envision a worse situation than what the Cowboys are in right now. Despite this, their season is far from over.

A shortened offseason resulted in more injuries across the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys are a team that suffered multiple injuries on both sides of the ball. Just in case you don’t know how bad it has been, let me give you a little glimpse.

Since training camp, the Cowboys placed 13 players on injured reserve. Five of them will miss the rest of the season. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy would make it 14 players on IR and six players missing the season. He was cut from the team after tearing his quad in the first padded practice.

Of course, you can’t forget about Dak. He was playing at an unbelievable pace before his injury. The NFL passing yards leader was on pace to throw for 5939 yards and 29 touchdowns. On the ground, he was on pace to run for 298 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While I doubt he would keep up with that much production the entire season, this would have seen him eclipse Peyton Manning’s record for passing yards in a season by 462 yards. So, yeah, he was playing great before his unfortunate injury.

Keep your head up

Regardless of all this depressing news, there are still things going well for the Cowboys. Let’s start with the first point, being they play in the NFC East.

In the game of football, having a weak division means you are much more likely to make the playoffs. Even with a losing record of 2-3, they lead the division. Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen.

The defense has not looked good at all in the first five weeks of the season. Numerous injuries surely do not help, but there is some upside. One way you can look at it is they can only get better from here.

Another encouraging sight is the Cowboys were able to establish a pass-rush against the New York Giants. It is something the team has lacked all season, with an exception for defensive end Aldon Smith.

Star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has changed his game a bit. He used to be a dominant pass rusher, but he seems to be focusing on defending the run this season. While he is not always noticeable, he has made some impressive plays once in a while. It’s a step in the right direction.

In a similar situation to Lawrence is linebacker Jaylon Smith. While he has not had the best season thus far, he impressed in Week 2 and Week 5. He needs to be more consistent.

Quarterback Andy Dalton stepped in on Sunday and led the team to a win. He is the best backup quarterback you can get, and he showed that after replacing Dak.

Cowboys fans should be optimistic about how he may play this season. After all, he had success with the Cincinnati Bengals.

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He has three Pro Bowls to his name along with four playoff appearances, although he doesn’t have a playoff win. He also has two seasons where he threw for over 4,000 yards, and four seasons of 25+ passing touchdowns.

The return of linebackers Sean Lee and Leighton Vander Esch will help out the defense a lot. So will the return of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. All three defenders played a crucial role in how the defense played last season.

A ton can still go right for the Dallas Cowboys, even though it is hard to see. Never forget, once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. Dallas can at least be playoff-bound.