Dallas Cowboys: Week 2 NFC roundup that affects America’s Team

With Week 2 in the books, the Dallas Cowboys have to feel good not only about their performance but the standings as well. Yes, the Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Chargers at their home stadium and that win could be bigger than you might realize.

Like I said before, the first goal the Cowboys should have is to win their division. Washington lost at home to these same Chargers and that common opponent could end up becoming a tie-breaker later in the season.

Washington struggled against the New York Giants and although I would have preferred the Giants to win, it is good to know that there is a team in the NFC East that has yet to win a football game and it’s not the Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys are looking much-improved so far in the NFC after Week 2

With the Giants winless and Washington sitting at 1-1, the Monday night contest against the Philadelphia Eagles is a big early game. Washington travels to Buffalo to play the Bills who should be heavily favored.

A win on Monday night could be the closest the rest of the NFC East comes to challenging the Cowboys for the crown. Even if the Giants were to get a win against Atlanta this week, they can only tie for last place with a win.

Speaking of Atlanta and that NFC South, it appeared as if they were going to dwell alone in the basement until the real Jameis Winston stood up. The New Orleans Saints have a very good defense yet the Winston of old could put them in some really bad situations.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like a team on a mission and Dak said it best when he told Tampa quarterback Tom Brady “We’ll see y’all again”. I might be putting the cart before the horse but I do not think a Bucs/Cowboys playoff game is out of the realm of possibilities.

Atlanta surprisingly kept up with Tampa Bay but unraveled late in the middle of the second half.

The team that is looking good but has gotten lost in the shuffle is the Carolina Panthers. This is a very well-coached team that is going to cause problems for everyone on their schedule. The NFL gets caught up in the name recognition game and although these Panthers lack the name, their game is very sustainable.

The next time the Cowboys play on a Sunday afternoon, it will be against these same Carolina Panthers. I wonder how much confidence they will be playing with as they face the Tyrod Taylor-less Houston Texans this Thursday night. A 3-0 Panthers team with extra rest traveling to face America’s team on short rest could be the talk next week. What once looked like an easy win for Dallas suddenly looks like a potentially large NFC clash amongst possible playoff teams. Did I mention the game against Philadelphia is pretty big?

Carolina beat a Saints team who destroyed the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. In an expected but odd twist, the Packers beat down a Detroit Lions team who almost came back to win against the San Francisco Forty-Niners in Week 1. The NFL can be funny like that sometimes.

San Fran did the Cowboys a favor by escaping with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles yet struggled with a Detroit team who looked inspired on Monday night but fizzled in the second half. This odd beginning for the conference coupled with the extra playoff spot this year makes me believe more teams will be involved in the playoff race than ever before.

It’s going to be more important this year than any other previous season for the Cowboys to get out to an early lead and cruise while the other teams battle it out just to get into the tournament. Being in the NFC East could have its benefits this year.

We haven’t even talked about the entire stout NFC West who could hypothetically have all four teams in the division make the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams looked good but what would have happened if Carson Wentz didn’t get hurt? Funny thing to type honestly.

Seattle looked good early on but lost late when they could not stop Titans running back Derrick Henry from eating them alive. The Cardinals were a missed field goal from being 1-1 yet escaped from an underachieving Minnesota Vikings squad that is full of talent.

Chicago held off a Cincinnati team who beat Minnesota is the same kind of division tiebreaker Dallas holds over Washington. That is a great chip for them but the quarterback confusion is a situation that could divide their locker room. At this point,1-1 leads the NFC North but I will say that if Aaron Rodgers is back to being himself, I do not see anyone challenging them for the NFC North crown.

The NFC has five undefeated teams after Week 2 but all five have been challenged early and escaped with at least one win. Seven teams including the Cowboys have a 1-1 record in the conference but only four of those teams had an opportunity to win in their only loss.

The four remaining winless teams have had their chances but it ultimately didn’t work out for them. The Falcons and Lions this week held up fairly well but were eventually beaten soundly. The Giants and Vikings probably should have won but fallen short on a last-second field goal.

It is still very early but the Cowboys have a big game on Monday night where they can set themselves apart from the NFC East and start conversations about becoming real contenders in the NFC.