Please save any talk about how the Dallas Cowboys squandered an opportunity to claim a top-five draft pick by beating the Washington Commanders. They had lost five straight games and were without their top five players in terms of salary cap figures.
The Cowboys needed a win in the worst way and it came in absolutely thrilling fashion against former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. They almost gave it away more than once in the closing minutes, but they got it done, albeit with some help from Washington kicker Austin Seibert.
NFL Network reporter Jane Slater sensed a collective feeling of relief in the locker room after the game. The team has been accused of quitting in the second half of blowout losses this season. There was zero of that on Sunday.
One player whose effort is never in question is Micah Parsons, who was once again unstoppable to the tune of two sacks, eight tackles and three quarterback hits. Parsons has refused to wave the white flag on the 2024 season in the face of adversity and he preached a similar message in the aftermath of Sunday's win.
Micah Parsons sends powerful message to Cowboys fans after Week 12 win
Like I said we ain’t done 🤫🤫🤫 !! #cowboyswin
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) November 24, 2024
That is a bold message from Parsons. The Cowboys are still closer to securing a top-10 pick than making the playoffs, but Parsons' line of thinking isn't as crazy as it seems.
By no means are we buying into the idea that Dallas can salvage the season, but have you taken a look at their next four games? They have the laughingstock Giants on Thanksgiving, followed by the 4-7 Bengals who can't help but find ways to lose, then the 3-8 Panthers and the 5-6 Buccaneers.
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It is just as likely that the Cowboys go 1-3 during that stretch that they go 3-1, but those are all winnable games. Again, it took a borderline miracle for them to beat the Commanders, but if they show half of the fight they did on Sunday anything is possible.
Walk with us for a second.
Cooper Rush played miles better than he had the previous two games. He finally took shots downfield and reaped the benefits, even if it didn't always result in a completion. Rico Dowdle dominated on the ground again and CeeDee Lamb could not be stopped.
On the other side of the ball, Mike Zimmer quietly has the defense playing exceptional the last two games. They just pitched their best game of the season and are slowly but surely getting healthy. The returns of DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis made a huge difference.
Those are all facts.
Nobody is saying the playoffs are within reach. Heck, we're going to fire up Tankathon first thing Monday morning. With that said, this win at least removed the existential dread that lingered on game days for the last month or so.
Maybe the home stretch of the season will have some juice after all.