Cowboys & The NFC East
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - In the wake of the humiliating 27-point loss to the Eagles a month ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sounded an alarm by, um, not sounding the alarm.
Remember?
"There's no alarm," Jones said after the hideous 34-7 loss on Sunday Night Football dropped his team to 3-4. "I want to be clear here: There's absolutely no alarm. This can happen in the NFL."
So can this: 3-4, meet 7-4.
The Cowboys, dismissed as mediocre on Halloween, are now in first place and in control of their playoff destiny as the calendar flips to December. Not that walk-off wins over the lowly Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins are going to scare the 11-0 Green Bay Packers, but all the sudden the Cowboys are in the driver's seat in the NFC East.
Another NFL weekend, another round of good news for Dallas. The Cowboys' playoff positioning was again enhanced by losses from its potential Wild Card competitors (Lions 7-4 and Bears 7-4) and we can finally – enthusiastically – bury the Philadelphia Eagles, who dipped to 4-7 with a loss to the New England Patriots.
If the playoffs started today the Cowboys would be the No. 4 seed in the NFC Playoffs and would host the Chicago Bears on Wild Card Weekend. Of course the playoffs don't start today. There is much football to be played and while Tony Romo has owned November (19-2), he and his team have struggled with the ghosts of Decembers past (7-10, with 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions).
But look at the schedule. At 7-4, the Cowboys play at the Arizona Cardinals (4-7) Sunday. Meanwhile, the New York Giants face the 7-3 New Orleans Saints (tonight) and the undefeated Packers (Sunday) before coming to Arlington for the Dec. 11 showdown at Cowboys Stadium.
From 3-4, the Cowboys could have a two-game cushion in the division entering the visit from the Giants. Against the Cardinals Miles Austin should be back and Mike Jenkins should return and...
Again, none of this means the Cowboys are an elite team. If they move to 8-4 their five-game winning streak will be achieved against a litany of lousy NFL quarterbacks including Tarvaris Jackson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Rex Grossman, Matt Moore and John Skelton.
Three wins in 12 days and a resurrection from 3-4 has provided the Cowboys only one thing: The opportunity to prove in December that they are a legit contender in the NFC.
Alarm, anyone?
