For those who say 'This game doesn't make or break us....'

[BulletBob]

Great post, CR.

Look, fellas, if we come out flat and get blown out of this game, the season is over.

If we win, it could be the dawning of a new era.

If we hang with them all game, and lose at the gun, maybe we can take the momentum into the playoffs.

Any way you look at it, this game should be a strong indicator of things to come.

 

[EveryoneElse]

We already have one win over a team with a winning record (Carolina). A win over the Colts would be two.

If you count Carolina as a good team. I don't, but if you do, good for you!

 

[AdamJT13]

If you count Carolina as a good team. I don't, but if you do, good for you!

Carolina is 5-1 against everyone else since they got Steve Smith back, including two wins over teams with better records than we have.

 

[EveryoneElse]

Carolina is 5-1 against everyone else since they got Steve Smith back, including two wins over teams with better records than we have.

We beat them down. BAD. We've lost to the Commanders. Nuff said.

 

[AdamJT13]

We beat them down. BAD. We've lost to the Commanders. Nuff said.

Are you not even trying to make sense?

 

[EveryoneElse]

Are you not even trying to make sense?

I don't see Carolina as a good team. Period.

You obviously do.

You have all that stats, thats what you base all your debates on. Stats don't always tell the whole story.

Carolina doesn't scare me. Now, indy? Yes. Philly? Yes. NYG? Yes.

I said if we beat Indy, we'll be 1-2 against god teams. 0-2 against Philly and NYG.

 

[Doomsday101]

We beat them down. BAD. We've lost to the Commanders. Nuff said.

Regardless of the Colts game Dallas still has top teams they must face to make the playoffs. We could beat the colts and it will not ensure anything and we could lose to the colts and yet still be in the race. Dallas has Alt, NO, NYG and Philly those games will mean a heck of a lot no matter what happens against the Colts. For those who want to believe that should we lose the season is over be my guest but win or lose this season is a long ways from being over. No doubt this is a spot light game and could be a big boost to this team but the playoffs do no rest with this 1 game

 

[Aikbach]

The game doesn't break Dallas but I'm one who believes that if Dallas emerges from this one injury free and victorious that winning out is a distinct possibilty. How sweet it would be to be the likely 2nd seed in the conference.

 

[EveryoneElse]

The game doesn't break Dallas but I'm one who believes that if Dallas emerges from this one injury free and victorious that winning out is a distinct possibilty. How sweet it would be to be the likely 2nd seed in the conference.

I think it matters how we lose. We get dominated and lose by 20 or so and it's over. We lose a close one late on a fg, or a TD, I think we can take something from the game.

Either way, 5-5 after 10 games usually doesn't spell playoffs.

 

[baj1dallas]

I disagree. We have yet to play consistently all season. We have no 2 game win streak, much less a 3 game win streak to our name.

Winning streaks don't get you into the playoffs; overall record does.

Sure we MIGHT still make the playoffs, considering our strength of schedule. But I for one don't want to repeat 2003 - limping into the playoffs just because we saw a good number of garbage teams.

Who cares what you want? Playoffs is playoffs. I want to be watching the Cowboys in January.

I am not impressed with a team that gets into the playoffs by beating the Arizonas and Titans of the world, but not the Indys or the Giants or the Saints (looking ahead).

In fact, I have yet to be impressed by this TEAM.

Fortunately, this isn't college, and style points don't count. Steelers snuck into the playoffs last year and that didn't hurt them any.

This year we must put it together against the Colts, or they will beat us. We have to play our game, dictate how the game goes, and jell as a team.

Can't agree with that either. I think we're "jell"ed already. All we have to do is not screw up and blow chances, because we'll get them.

If we drop this game, we are back to .500. After that, we could go as high as 11-5, but I would predict more like 10-6, 9-7, heck, maybe even 8-8 for the year.

10-6 will get you into the playoffs, we can lose to Indy and NYG and still make it.

The fact is - we need this game to a) solidify our swagger for the rest of the season and make a strong playoff run and b) if we make the playoffs, verify that we CAN hang with the big boys.

This is all stuff that fans care about but has nothing to do with the game.

I'm tired of seeing the cowboys feel good about being a top 15 or even top 10 team. We have the talent that we should be in everyone's top 5 or 3, but the team has yet to force anyone's hand.

The talent level is certainly debatable. Top 5 of defense maybe. Maybe.

 

[Slammin Bran 23]

I thought Carolina was a contender.

 

[EveryoneElse]

I thought Carolina was a contender.

I thought they were too before the season started. Heck, I thought we'd be 7-2 right now and leading the NFC east. Thats why the season is played.

 

[Angus]

Did you read the whole thing? Making the playoffs beating nothing but garbage isn't good enough and is NOT a success, any more than 2003 was a success.

Making the playoffs and actually beating quality opponents to make it there is impressive and gives us something. Going in based on schedule is not.

Forget about the team being "impressive." Think about it winning. Once the regular season is over it is a new ball game for every team that made it to the playoffs -- however they made it. And if you don't like the koolade, don't drink it. But don't worry about other fans drinking it. What the fans drink makes no difference to the players. All this "we" stuff is presumptuous. The Dallas Cowboys players (who can realistically think "we") are going to make or break the season, not the team's fans.

 

[AtlCB]

I don't see Carolina as a good team. Period.

You obviously do.

You have all that stats, thats what you base all your debates on. Stats don't always tell the whole story.

Carolina doesn't scare me. Now, indy? Yes. Philly? Yes. NYG? Yes.

I said if we beat Indy, we'll be 1-2 against god teams. 0-2 against Philly and NYG.

Carolina > Philly

The Giants were good until half their team landed on the injury list.

 

[AdamJT13]

I don't see Carolina as a good team. Period.

You obviously do.

You have all that stats, thats what you base all your debates on. Stats don't always tell the whole story.

It's not based on stats, it's based on winning and losing. When you're 5-2 since your best player returned from an injury (5-1 against everyone but us), you're a good team.

You might not consider Carolina a good team, but just about everyone else does. ESPN, Sportsline and FoxSports all put them in the top 12.

The onyl reason you don't consider them a good team is because we beat them, which says a lot about your credibility.

 

[joseephuss]

This is a different Cowboys team with Romo at QB instead of Bledsoe. Now that he has some experience, I like the team better now than when Dallas faced Philly and NY. I didn't like the match up with Drew at QB because his great weakness played into those defenses strengths.

Even with a loss against the Colts, Dallas can still make a run. A win against the Colts also doesn't cure everything for the Cowboys. Each new week and each new game brings about a different circumstance. We see this every year that Dallas and Philly match up. Last year Dallas blew them out in the first game and the second game was extremely close. Dallas will have to continue to improve to get to the playoffs this year. It may not take a 7-0 record to get there, but they have to win more than they lose.

I hate when I see people call AdamJT just a stats guy or as someone who relies only on stats. I think it is insulting. He posts plenty of good stuff based on his observations just like most of us do. He is just one of the better guys at utlizing stats to try to strengthen his arguements. It doesn't make him right any more than anyone else. It also doesn't make him a guy that only looks at a stat sheet to base his opinions.

 

[Zman5]

I don't see Carolina as a good team. Period.

You obviously do.

You have all that stats, thats what you base all your debates on. Stats don't always tell the whole story.

Carolina doesn't scare me. Now, indy? Yes. Philly? Yes. NYG? Yes.

I said if we beat Indy, we'll be 1-2 against god teams. 0-2 against Philly and NYG.

Carolina is better than Philly.

 

[Doomsday101]

Carolina is better than Philly.

Which day? :laugh2: The way the NFC is it is hard to tell who is great and who is not. 1 day this team looks like the cream of the crop and the next flop. Right now Bears are the best at 8-1 but they are looking beatable right now.

 

[EveryoneElse]

The onyl reason you don't consider them a good team is because we beat them, which says a lot about your credibility.

Is that the only reason?

And your credibility stock is on the rise because you follow all the talking heads on ESPN and FOX?

How many of those guys had the Steelers making the playoffs this year?

I see the Panthres for what they are.....decent. If both the Panthers and Cowboys make the playoffs I would love for the Cowboys to play them in the first round.

 

[Zman5]

It's not the end of world for the team if we lose this game. We need to go 5-2 somehow to get in to the playoffs. And most of the people would agree, Indy is one of the 2 games we are most likely to lose.

This game also is not going to "make" us if we win it and then lose to the Bucs on Turkeyday.

I would think the game against the Bucs would be more of a make or break game whether we beat Indy or not.

I would think, if we beat Indy and then lose to the Bucs, it will be more devastating then losing to Indy and then winning against the Bucs.