All 8 of the Cowboys SB teams won their season finale

[aikemirv]

If the Cowboys reach the SB this season they'll be the first Cowboys team to ever reach the SB after losing it's regular season finale. Our history points to how important it's been to end the regular season on a winning note entering the playoffs if we're going to reach the SB. Our 1994 team was a great team but lost it's season finale and ended up losing in the NFC title game.

I hated losing that game like we did. I think it sends the wrong message to the team when most of the starters have to play anyway. I think it takes away from your competitive edge. I would have much preferred Dak and Tony in there longer.

 

[KJJ]

That's great for all 8 of those teams.

You have to admit it's an interesting stat. I figured pointing it out would ruffle a few feathers. lol

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

We had a 3-2 Dec/Jan after a 10-1 Sept/Nov. We didn't finish real strong and our best football was from weeks 5 to 10 in my opinion. I've seen a number of playoff teams mail in meaningless season finale games to try and stay healthy only to cost themselves momentum and get knocked off in the playoffs. I remember Philly in 2010 losing by 10 points to Minn in week 16 and like fools sat all their starters against us in week 17 and we beat them 14-13 with Stephen McGee. Philly proceeded to go one and out in the playoffs, which was so predictable.

I hear ya.

I think philly would have tried to hurt Dak and Zeke.

I would rather go in fully loaded off throwaway game than go in with only 4 bullets in my 6 shooter though.

 

[CATCH17]

Our D didn't look very good in the first half against Detroit as they ran all over our #1 rush defense for 21 points. They can't even run the ball and were gashing us, however we did play much better in the second half.

Blah..

We're the #1 rush defense in the NFL. 1 half of football doesn't change the entire body of work.

 

[KJJ]

I hated losing that game like we did. I think it sends the wrong message to the team when most of the starters have to play anyway. I think it takes away from your competitive edge. I would have much preferred Dak and Tony in there longer.

I agree with everything you said. Dak should have played a half and Romo the entire 3rd quarter.

 

[Doomsday101]

Our D didn't look very good in the first half against Detroit as they ran all over our #1 rush defense for 21 points. They can't even run the ball and were gashing us, however we did play much better in the second half.

Your right and they adjusted and came out looking great. I think Det caught Dallas by surprise by coming out running as they did catching Dallas in some stunts and blitzes. Cowboys adjusted and shut Det down. Frankly I was more impressed by how Dallas came out and adjusted and dominated Det in that second half

 

[JD_KaPow]

It's a pretty large sample size for our franchise and it's been consistent despite 25 years since our first SB appearance and our last SB appearance. It doesn't matter what other teams have done, our history shows how important ending our regular seasons on a positive note has been to us reaching the SB.

Correlation is not causation.

 

[mldardy]

You have to admit it's an interesting stat. I figured pointing it out would ruffle a few feathers. lol

I just don't care that much. Has nothing to do with this team and what is going on right now. We won our last regular game in 2014 or 2009 and didn't make the Super Bowl.

 

[KJJ]

I hear ya.

I think philly would have tried to hurt Dak and Zeke.

I would rather go in fully loaded off throwaway game than go in with only 4 bullets in my 6 shooter though.

Dak got pulled not long after he took that hard hit. I think Garrett planned on playing him longer but that shot Dak took made him reconsider. He was going to play Zeke but decided not to at game time. All I know is if you put too much on trying to have a healthy team entering the playoffs it can have an adverse affect on your momentum. A healthy team that isn't playing well isn't going to advance. Dak, Zeke and a number of players are going to go longer without playing than they have all season by the time the playoffs start.

 

[aikemirv]

Correlation is not causation.

I just don't care that much. Has nothing to do with this team and what is going on right now. We won our last regular game in 2014 or 2009 and didn't make the Super Bowl.

I disagree. I think as a player, if you are basically told to take a week off, when you actually don't have a week off, you lose something. It is a mental thing. You let your guard down.

 

[KJJ]

I just don't care that much. Has nothing to do with this team and what is going on right now. We won our last regular game in 2014 or 2009 and didn't make the Super Bowl.

It had nothing to do with the other teams either there's a 25 year gap. I'm looking back at our history and our history has shown that everyone of our 8 SB teams won their regular season finale.

 

[HoosierCowboy]

but not all 9

 

[JD_KaPow]

Dak got pulled not long after he took that hard hit. I think Garrett planned on playing him longer but that shot Dak took made him reconsider. He was going to play Zeke but decided not to at game time. All I know is if you put too much on trying to have a healthy team entering the playoffs it can have an adverse affect on your momentum. A healthy team that isn't playing well isn't going to advance. Dak, Zeke and a number of players are going to go longer without playing than they have all season by the time the playoffs start.

Fortunately, there's no such thing as "momentum" from one week to the next. There's health and there's exhaustion and there's improvement, and those can look like momentum.

The '12 Ravens lost 4 of their last 5, and won the SB.
The '09 Saints lost their last 3, and won the SB.

Most SB-winning teams don't have finishes that bad, because most of them win the majority of their games whenever they come (and teams that finish that bad often just don't make the playoffs). But once the playoffs start, none of that matters. Your QB breaking his leg? That matters.

 

[KJJ]

1 half of football doesn't change the entire body of work.

Didn't say it did. I liked the way we finished that game we kicked their ace.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Dak got pulled not long after he took that hard hit. I think Garrett planned on playing him longer but that shot Dak took made him reconsider. He was going to play Zeke but decided not to at game time. All I know is if you put too much on trying to have a healthy team entering the playoffs it can have an adverse affect on your momentum. A healthy team that isn't playing well isn't going to advance. Dak, Zeke and a number of players are going to go longer without playing than they have all season by the time the playoffs start.

Our current hand = the players that have made it happen against EVERY TEAM IN THE NFL "except" for the Giants is going to thr playoffs.

I choose THAT!

 

[KJJ]

Fortunately, there's no such thing as "momentum" from one week to the next. There's health and there's exhaustion and there's improvement, and those can look like momentum.

The '12 Ravens lost 4 of their last 5, and won the SB.
The '09 Saints lost their last 3, and won the SB.

Most SB-winning teams don't have finishes that bad, because most of them win the majority of their games whenever they come (and teams that finish that bad often just don't make the playoffs). But once the playoffs start, none of that matters. Your QB breaking his leg? That matters.

There is momentum from one week to the next which is how winning streaks are established. What the Ravens and Saints did doesn't matter, I'm looking back at our history. We wanted to have a healthy team entering the playoffs even if it meant playing our worst game of the season entering the playoffs. We'll see if it pays off and we look sharp and ready to play in a couple of weeks.

 

[conner01]

I get the idea of momentum but there is a difference in being beat in your last game and playing a bum at qb and losing your game

 

[KJJ]

Let me repeat just because the team has never reached the SB after losing it's regular season finale isn't me saying it can't happen or won't happen. I'll be sure to bookmark this post. lol

 

[KJJ]

I get the idea of momentum but there is a difference in being beat in your last game and playing a bum at qb and losing your game

Mailing in games isn't sending a good message to your team especially when you could have won a franchise record 14 games and you have two young players who still have goals including MVP and rookie of the year aspirations. Zeke looked miserable slumped on the bench because he thought he was going to play and he still had some goals. Garrett played our starters the first half against Wash in the season finale in 2014 and allowed Murray to break Emmitt's franchise rushing record. He said he played his starters a lot in that game because that's how we do things here. Apparently we do things differently now.

I understand you don't want to get anyone hurt but there's no reason to end a great season on a sour note with a bum QB embarrassing you. A 14 win season would have put a nice ribbon and what's been an unbelievable dream of a season and we never gave ourselves a good opportunity with the damn QB we used. Sanchez couldn't even throw a freaking screen pass without getting it picked off.

 

[Ranching]

You have to admit it's an interesting stat. I figured pointing it out would ruffle a few feathers. lol

You do that well. Lol