Blogging The Boys
Objects are closer than they appear for the NFC East leader Philadelphia.
For diehard fans, it’s difficult to set aside the anguish of a Cowboys loss, even on a special day like Thanksgiving, where a win just adds to the holiday cheer of spending time with loved ones. Adding a cherry on top of this victory sundae is the fact that the Eagles have now dropped two games in a row after losing to the Bears on Friday afternoon. The loss dropped Philadelphia’s record to 8-4, putting the Cowboys (6-5-1) in striking distance of the NFC East title. Eagles fans know this, and the recent surge by the Cowboys in their three-game winning streak has those fans looking in the rear view.
Post-Bye Success
The Cowboys’ current three-game win streak started after the bye week, and after gaining reinforcements on defense. Dallas used the bye to acquire DT Quinnen Williams and LB Logan Wilson from the Jets and Bengals, respectively. Each of these players, especially Williams, has brought a different dynamic to the defense, and has given DC Matt Eberflus the ammunition to deploy his unit to his liking. Add in the fact that LB DeMarvion Overshown and CB Shavon Revel returned from injury, and the Cowboys’ defense is a complete 180 from what we saw the first nine games.
Dallas started with a convincing win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, leading into a tough matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. After falling behind 21-0 early in the 2nd quarter, the season seemed lost. However, the defense finally tightened up, shutting out the Eagles for eight consecutive possessions spanning nearly a full three quarters.
This allowed Dak Prescott and the offense to rise from the dead and tie the franchise record for the biggest comeback win: 21 points. The Cowboys then defeated the other Super Bowl participant (Kansas City Chiefs) on the national stage on Thanksgiving Day after another solid team performance. Dallas now sits at 6-5-1, and have their eye on catching the Eagles in the standings.
This veteran starter may be playing his last days with the Cowboys.
While the Dallas Cowboys are still fighting to stay in the playoff race, it’s already clear the franchise will have a lot of business to take care of in the offseason, regardless of how the rest of the year plays out. Like always, Dallas has some contract situations to figure out, and a few pending free agents who could be saying goodbye to the team this offseason. One of the veterans who could be moving on from the Cowboys in the offseason is safety Donovan Wilson. The veteran defender has been a staple on Dallas’ defense for...
