NewsBot
New Member
- Messages
- 111,281
- Reaction score
- 2,947
They have done neither, and their 33-27 overtime defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football could be the final nail in the coffin in that argument.
To the Cowboys' credit, it seemed like everything was there for the taking going into Sunday night—a contest that felt as must-win as any game could in Week 9. They played like it, answering every Eagles touchdown with a miraculous one of their own behind a gutsy (and, at times, lucky) performance by fill-in quarterback Matt Cassel.
With a win, Dallas would have been 3-1 in the division and 1.5 games back of the New York Giants, who improved to 5-4 Sunday. Instead, the Cowboys enter the second half of the season at 2-6.
That's the same record as the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. And more importantly, it's a record no team has ever emerged from to make the postseason, as NFL Network noted:
Even more concerning is that the triumphant return of star receiver Dez Bryant hasn't produced a turnaround. He caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough.
The team turned to Brandon Weeden following Romo's injury—that was a disaster. Cassel hasn't been much better, throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns (four) in three losses in Weeden's relief, leading to the Cowboys' worst losing streak in more than 25 years, as ESPN's Ed Werder noted:
The return of Romo may be on the horizon, but the Cowboys will still have to hope for a win without him to get things on track. Dallas faces a Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad outplaying expectations and will be without Romo again, as he's not slated to return until a Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins.
Let's be optimistic and say the Cowboys find a way to win that game. They would sit at 3-6 with five of the final eight games on the road.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have much more winnable games at home against Miami, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Arizona and Washington, leading Andrew Brandt of ESPN and others to believe the Cowboys are at a scheduling disadvantage as well:
And it's not like winning out promises to be a simple task for Romo and Co. when he does return. His first two games back will come in a four-day stretch, including a Thanksgiving Day bout with the Carolina Panthers, who are likely to enter that game 10-0.
A defense that performed well early on seemed to give the Cowboys a lifeline, but even that has faded in recent weeks. Over the six-game losing streak, Dallas' defense has given up a whopping 54 points in the fourth quarter alone.
That same defense has failed to force a takeaway in six of its eight games, while the Giants and Eagles both rank in the top five in the league in forcing interceptions.
Meanwhile, Cassel has thrown a pick-six in two of his three starts. But don't expect to find pessimism among the Cowboys who talked to the media Sunday night, as David Helman of DallasCowboys.com reported:
The possibility of fighting out of that hole is becoming more and more grim. The Cowboys sit in an unfamiliar position—dead last in the NFC East, even sitting a game behind the Washington Commanders.
Think the situation couldn't be any worse? Well, it is. The Cowboys won't have a chance to gain ground on the Eagles or Giants when Romo returns, with no games remaining against their biggest divisional threats.
Dallas appeared able to fight its way through this midseason malaise in a number of tight contests over the last six weeks. But it still came up on the losing end of each game.
Wins are the only thing that matters at the position the Cowboys currently sit in, and they are 0-for-6 in that regard with Romo out.
It would be safe to say a seventh loss next week against Tampa Bay would be the final nail in the coffin, but that may have already come with Jordan Matthews' overtime game-winner Sunday night.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...