Bach;1848814 said:
You stated, "
Bottom line: When a team isn't very good, it's not likely to win in the playoffs or against playoff teams...regardless of the month in which those games are played.
That's what's totally not true
Allow me to clarify your position here. You're contending that the superior team is not more likely to win games.
Interesting.
So answer me this: Is there a month in which inferior teams are more likely to win than superior teams?
since I've seen us, just last year beat the soon to be Super Bowl champs in Nov, yet down the stretch get pummelled by the Saints, Eagles and then lose to the Lions. What totally not true is that a team may be able to beat good teams during the course of the season, yet if for some reason, late in the year or postseason they can't do it. Sometimes when you play a team is important. The issue isn't about bad teams losing to good teams most of the time, it's about how Dallas has tended to wilt down the stretch.
You're making my point.
Dallas was beaten by the Giants and Eagles in October, and the Saints and Eagles in December. The Cowboys managed to upset the Colts in early November, and win the rematch against the Giants in December.
All in all, the 2006 Dallas Cowboys went 2-4 in games against playoff bound opponents. One of those wins was in December while the other was in November. Two of those losses were in October while the others were in December.
This data corroborates my original supposition. Dallas generally lost to superior opponents regardless of the month in which the game was played.
Only once in 4 tries did Dallas beat a superior opponent--against Indianapolis. They lost all three remaining tries--against New Orleans and Philly twice.
Well, to quote you, what's so "magical" about the final five games?
There's nothing magical about them. They're actual games, not some abstract demarcation of time.
Throughout this entire thread, I've maintained that mediocre teams tend to be exposed over the final five games of the season and/or during the playoffs.
You do realize that not all years are there five games after Thanksgiving. Some years there are only four. I don't care if it's four or five or post-Thanksgiving or just December. All I know is we seem to have problems down the stretch of the season the last few years and the last few games have been more of the same.
Undoubtedly, Dallas has faltered in recent years over the past five games. No one is arguing that. However, before we conclude that these current Cowboys are struggling, let's examine the entire body of work post-Thanksgiving:
The Cowboys are 2-1 including a win against Green Bay--Dallas' most important and impressive win of the season. Over this post-Thanksgiving stretch, the Cowboys played their worst game against Philly but arguably their best game (given the quality of opponent) against Green Bay.
Consider this. We've struggled since late in the second quarter of that Packers game. That's why I've maintained we haven't played well for the past 2.5+ games.
Unquestionably, different units have faltered over the past two games. But, once again, don't become so engrossed in minutiae you overlook the entire body of work. 2-1 with a win against Green Bay.