to questions
Six days prior, the Cowboys had dismantled the Las Vegas Raiders on the road in a prime-time game. The Cowboys looked complete and confident as Prescott alternated between Lamb and Pickens as his poison of choice and the newly assembled Cowboys’ defensive front tore apart the Raiders’ offensive line.
But beating a team that has since fallen to 2-9 begged the question: What did the victory mean? Sure, it counted in the win column. But would Dallas ever beat a club with a winning record?
As they faced a 21-point hole early Sunday, the answer seemed trending clearly in one direction. When the currents reversed, a strong offense led by Pickens’ nine catches for 146 yards and a touchdown deserved credit. But the defense, Prescott emphasized, kept the team competitive until the offense belatedly awoke.
A defensive interior front of Osa Odighizuwa, August acquisition Kenny Clark and trade deadline acquisition Quinnen Williams frustrated an Eagles front that has weathered injuries including to star right tackle Lane Johnson.
The Cowboys hit Hurts six times and pressured him additionally. And, unusual for Cowboys defenses in recent years, they contained Barkley to 2.2 yards per rush (Barkley did catch seven passes for 52 yards atop his 22 rushing yards).
Eagles brass credited a five-man Cowboys front they weren’t expecting, Hurts referring to “how they’re built now given the three interior defenders they have” in explaining the defensive shift. Jones celebrated his deals and his ability to poach Williams after interest in the preseason didn’t materialize into a deal.
But everyone knew: Right now, the 5-5-1 Cowboys have the NFC’s 10th best record in a playoff format that will take just seven of them. More is necessary.
The Cowboys will have an imminent chance to ride this momentum on Thanksgiving Day against the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and then a week later, in prime time, against a Detroit Lions team that last season claimed the NFC’s top seed. The most daunting stretch of Dallas’ schedule has arrived. With it, the Cowboys can accurately gauge how much they’ve actually improved.
If the Cowboys upset both the Chiefs and Lions, their playoff chances will rise from 13% to 49%, according to The New York Times’ NFL playoff simulator.
Hopes are higher than they were a week and two weeks ago after the Cowboys’ first consecutive wins of the Brian Schottenheimer era. And yet — an observer of recent Cowboy history will fairly argue that the Cowboys upsetting their division rivals at home may not be the pivot point they need.
Sunday’s win improved Prescott to 22-2 against division teams at home in his career, the .917 record the highest division home winning clip of any quarterback since the NFL merger. Beating the Eagles is standard in the Prescott era. A deep playoff run is not yet.
Can Chiefs and Lions victories bring Dallas closer to the chance to change that?
The question is swirling in Cowboys’ players minds. And it’s a tick less outlandish than it felt a week ago.
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“You just go out and take each championship opportunity as its own,” Schottenheimer said. “And when it’s all said and done, after 17 games, we’re going to either be in the playoffs or not.
“If we keep playing the way we’re playing right now, I like our chances.”
Prescott does, too. He declined to rank the victory among his favorites in 10 Dallas seasons, even as the Cowboys tied their record for largest deficit (21 points) before a comeback and Prescott claimed the franchise’s passing yards record.
Sure, he admitted, he told trainers he wanted to keep the jersey — a sentimentality he doesn’t often permit. But to rank this game among his favorites will hinge on the team’s performance the rest of the season.
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“Hopefully, I can look back and say this was the moment, this was the time, this game meant everything to this season,” Prescott said. “Right now, just staying where my feet are. Super thankful for this team, for the men, for this opportunity.
“It’s a game that I won’t forget.”
