What the win over the Eagles means for the Dallas Cowboys
The 2020 NFL season has had its fair share of ups and downs for the Dallas Cowboys. After knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles in week 16 by a score of 37 to 17, the Cowboys are riding their first three-game winning streak of the year. Andy Dalton turned in his best performance in a Dallas […]
The 2020 NFL season has had its fair share of ups and downs for the Dallas Cowboys. After knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles in week 16 by a score of 37 to 17, the Cowboys are riding their first three-game winning streak of the year.
Andy Dalton turned in his best performance in a Dallas Cowboys uniform by throwing for 377 yards and three scores. Ezekiel Elliott broke the 100-yard mark on the ground thanks to some explosive carries. The big-three at wide receiver all starred. The defense played largely well against the red-hot Jalen Hurts, too.
Mostly everything went the Cowboys way after Eagles receiver Desean Jackson burned the secondary for an 81-yard touchdown early in the NFC East battle. From there on, Mike Nolan's defense tightened up and Kellen Moore's offense found its groove in a big way.
Cowboys now have realistic chance to make playoffs.
The win over the Eagles have pushed the Dallas Cowboys into a spot where the playoffs are no longer a long-shot. Dallas does need help — a win over the Giants and an Eagles win over Washington in week 17 — but there is a clear path for America's Team to win the division for the third time since 2016.
That speaks volumes to the way Mike McCarthy and company have coached down the stretch. Sure, playing the likes of the Bengals, 49ers, and the NFC East makes things a little more manageable, but the staff has done a great job of rallying the troops and preparing the team to make a run for the divisional crown.
It would have been easy for the locker room to lay down and quit after Dak Prescott went down with a gruesome injury — especially when factoring in all of the other injuries on the roster — but the Cowboys, to their credit, competed and righted the ship.
Because of that, the Cowboys are potentially one win away from making the NFL postseason in the first season of the Mike McCarthy era. That could go a long way in McCarthy establishing a winning culture moving forward when Prescott, La'el Collins, Tyron Smith, and others return to the gridiron.
Chances of winning division are rising, but draft pick is dropping.
Those on Team Tank have been wanting the Dallas Cowboys to pick in the top of the draft ever since Prescott went down in the third quarter against the Giants earlier this season. It appeared to be a lost season when QB1 went down, as the defense was historically bad and the offense struggled without Prescott and behind a banged up offensive line.
As recently as two weeks ago, it looked like the Cowboys were going to pick in the top-5 of the draft and have their choice of picking the best player on their board or trading back in the first-round with a team desperate to take one of the draft's top signal callers.
However, the Dallas Cowboys have rallied off wins over the last stretch of the season, improving their odds of making the 2020 NFL postseason and lowering their chances of picking towards the top of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Many Cowboys fans would make that trade, as wins and playoff berths are never guaranteed in the National Football League.
As it stands now, with the Cowboys still behind the division-leading Washington Football Team, Dallas would be slotted to pick just outside of the top-10, with the Eagles and Giants both set to draft in the top-8.
As much fun as following the draft would be with a top draft selection, the Dallas Cowboys are focused on winning the NFC East crown and getting back to playing postseason football.
Therefore, we are Cowboys — and, yes, Eagles — fans on Sunday.
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
