Don't look now, but the Dallas Cowboys aren't out of it just yet. Having won three in a row, they are right in the middle of the NFC playoff picture. Of course, it's something that players, coaches and fans are trying hard not to focus on at the moment.
But, it is difficult not to look ahead a litle bit. Even quarterback Dak Prescott admitted to looking at the NFC playoff standings ahead of this week's Thursday Night Football matchup with the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN Cowboys reporter Ed Werder.
Prescott also commented on the topic at hand:
“It's about us controlling what we control, winning the games in front of us…I think if we just win and handle our business, we'll put ourselves in a great spot."
Even Dak Prescott can't help but get a little excited about the Cowboys' latest surge
First and foremost, as a fan base, it is more than acceptable to get excited about a 3-game winning streak. This isn't just a 3-game win streak, though, it's one that includes victories over last year's Super Bowl representatives. That's significant in and of itself.
The Cowboys have proven, over the past couple of weeks, that they can indeed compete with anybody. And that's something no Cowboys fan would have said just four or five short weeks ago.
Things have changed dramatically since then and, even though the Cowboys still have their glaring shortcomings, this offense has been able to overcome them en route to winning football games.
Second, can you blame Dak for looking at the standings? We are so accustomed to players and coaches being laser-focused on the game at hand, while not looking ahead, but it's only human nature.
Sure, Prescott knows his Cowboys aren't out of it by any means. And, he's clearly focused on this week's matchup. But, how could he possibly help himself? It has to be impossible not to want to look at the standings, then the schedule, then back at the standings, and so on and so forth.
Dak's a competitor. He knows what's at stake. It's a positive to know you're not only not out of it at this point, but to know what you're up against in the coming weeks.
If Dallas can take care of business against the Detroit Lions, they then have some winnable games, in the near future, to look forward to. Coming up is a date with the Minnesota Vikings, who have been a train wreck on offense, followed by the L.A. Chargers, whose offensive line is arguably in the worst shape in the league right now.
Then, they've got the Commanders and Giants to close out the season -- again, winnable football games.
Dak's excited, as he should be. Let's keep it rolling.