The Lessons of Late November

Bobhaze

Bobhaze

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Three weeks ago at the near halfway mark of the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys still had not won two games in a row and had not beaten a team with a winning record. After yesterday’s defeat of the defending AFC champ chiefs, and last year’s defending SB champ egirls, the Cowboys have become the hottest team in the league.

I have no problem admitting I was wrong about what this team is capable of this year. Another lesson in NFL football: None of us know what’s going to happen, lol.

And once again the NFL reminds us that no one can predict what’s going to happen each week in the NFL. Look at the lowly bengals last night with the worst defense in the NFL rising up and beating the recently hot ravens on the road. The NFL is so unpredictable.

Late November is usually the time of year when NFL teams start showing us what they really are. The best indicator of the quality of a team is consistency. The Cowboys have won three in a row, the last 2 against last year’s SB teams.

IMO - Here are the lessons of late November for the Cowboys:
  • We can never look at the schedule and predict wins or losses.
  • It takes a whole season to know what a team is.
  • The Cowboys are the hottest team in the league. But it’s too early to call them the “best team” in the league because we are what our record says we are - 6-5-1.
  • The key to this late surge has mainly been the defense, but all three phases of the game have played well - offense defense and STs.
  • It takes more than just the “stars” of a team to play well. It takes all 53 each week being locked in at practice and giving 100% every snap. That to me has been a major area of improvement.
The Cowboys are red hot. But the calls for SB tickets might be a little premature. We still have a long way to go to make the play-offs. But who would’ve thought 3 weeks ago this team would be the team no one wants to play right now?

Calling the Cowboys “the best team in the NFL” right now is excited fan talk. But this team is definitely coming together at the right time. Win the last 5 and they have a good chance to punch a playoff ticket. It’s going to be a fun and very unpredictable ride.
 
sunalsorises said:
I don't want to be Dr. Killjoy here but I've seen a lot of hot Novembers turn into cold Decembers. I just want to see the team keep things rolling vs Detroit. At least now that game means something.
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Yes. I think our fan base is so starved for this team to be good again, it can make for some over-reactions.

But that’s ok. That’s the “fanatic” part of being a fan.

You’re right. Lots of football left to be played.
 
I posted about this many times. About the 1990 season.
After the 1989 1-15 season, everyone knew Dallas was still building. Expectations were going into the 1990 season.
They started 3-7. Everyone wrote them off.

The put together 4 straight wins. Needed 1 win to make the playoffs. Aikman was injured as they lost the last 2 games.
Heck they had a chance to get in at 7-9, but the Rams beat the Saints on a last second FG.

Now granted that year obviously the NFC had a lot of subpar teams. But they had a chance.

So any team I see sitting at 3-7, and now with 17 games makes it easier. I will not rule them out to make the playoffs.
Of course there are a lot of winning teams ahead of those 3-7 teams this season, so it is much tougher.
 
You weren't wrong about the team this season when you were talking about them early on. Jerry (Yes Jerry) has made some key trades, and the massive improvement to the team did not coincidentally happen when these happened. And not only the trades, as I have said from Day 1, when our young healthy bodies come back, but this will be an automatic improvement as well. If things don't pan out for the rest of '25, a strong draft will put us right up there in '26
 
Cowboys5217 said:
I'll happily eat crow with an ear to ear smile if this team wins it all this year.
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That’s the thing. Don’t have to win it all to be all wrong about this team.

If your mantra is only this team won’t win or make it to a SB so you can be right , that’s a dismal path to take as a fan . Doesn’t sound like much fun to me . It comes off much more dark than a fan rooting on their team.

And if you can’t believe in a team until it wins it all then that’s not believing or seeing a team that has the potential to win it.
 
My expectations remain at zero %. It's just not worth getting hyped. Win a couple in the postseason and my tune will change.
 
jazzcat22 said:
I posted about this many times. About the 1990 season.
After the 1989 1-15 season, everyone knew Dallas was still building. Expectations were going into the 1990 season.
They started 3-7. Everyone wrote them off.

The put together 4 straight wins. Needed 1 win to make the playoffs. Aikman was injured as they lost the last 2 games.
Heck they had a chance to get in at 7-9, but the Rams beat the Saints on a last second FG.

Now granted that year obviously the NFC had a lot of subpar teams. But they had a chance.

So any team I see sitting at 3-7, and now with 17 games makes it easier. I will not rule them out to make the playoffs.
Of course there are a lot of winning teams ahead of those 3-7 teams this season, so it is much tougher.
Click to expand...
Yes but part of having an eye for success is seeing or feeling better days are ahead .

Part of the fun was seeing that 1-15 team become 7-9 then making the playoffs in that upward spiral towards 1992.

We all didn’t see us peaking so early but we saw the potential . And that’s all we can do or be as fans .

Fans who need proof before believing isn’t believing.
 
The schedule remains very tough. 3 teams fighting for the playoffs and 2 division rivals on the road. 5-0 will be very tough. It's a crazy year in that it might take 11 wins to make the playoffs.
 
sunalsorises said:
I don't want to be Dr. Killjoy here but I've seen a lot of hot Novembers turn into cold Decembers. I just want to see the team keep things rolling vs Detroit. At least now that game means something.
Click to expand...
Agree here. Show us what you got in December!! Time to leave your big boy pants on. Kuddos to a great team effort yesterday, so lets keep rolloin.......GO COWBOYS
 
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