When Cowboys Face Good Teams for the Second Time...

[percyhoward]

Cbz's post about our dismal division record in the past 10 years got me thinking about what it is that makes us such a good team against teams outside our division.

In the case of the Cowboys, it seems familiarity breeds defeat.

We struggle when we have to face a team for the 2nd time during the season. Since 2003, we're 5-8 in those games. (This includes the 2nd division games, plus that playoff loss to Carolina, who was playing us for the 2nd time that year also).

That 5-8 sounds bad enough, but what's our record when we face a team for the 2nd time, and that team finishes with a winning record?

Since 2003, it's 0-6.

When we have to face a good team for the second time in a season, we are winless, have never scored more than 10 points, and have been outscored 51-152.

2003 @Phi 10-36
2003 @Car 10-29

2004 @Phi 7-12

2005: @NYG 10-17
2005: @Was 7-35

2006: Phi 7-23


If you throw in winning teams we had faced in preseason that year...

2005: @Sea 10-13
2006: NO 17-42

..then we're 0-8, and we've been outscored 78-207.

 

[BulletBob]

:eekmouse: :storm:

 

[jterrell]

Cbz's post about our dismal division record in the past 10 years got me thinking about what it is that makes us such a good team against teams outside our division.

In the case of the Cowboys, it seems familiarity breeds defeat.

We struggle when we have to face a team for the 2nd time during the season. Since 2003, we're 5-8 in those games. (This includes the 2nd division games, plus that playoff loss to Carolina, who was playing us for the 2nd time that year also).

That 5-8 sounds bad enough, but what's our record when we face a team for the 2nd time, and that team finishes with a winning record?

Since 2003, it's 0-6.

When we have to face a good team for the second time in a season, we are winless, have never scored more than 10 points, and have been outscored 51-152.

2003 @Phi 10-36
2003 @Car 10-29

2004 @Phi 7-12

2005: @NYG 10-17
2005: @Was 7-35

2006: Phi 7-23


If you throw in winning teams we had faced in preseason that year...

2005: @Sea 10-13
2006: NO 17-42

..then we're 0-8, and we've been outscored 78-207.

That all makes perfect sense to me.
Just look at our overall record the past 6 seasons and it isn't pretty; especially against winning teams.

Take the Carolina example from 2003. We beat them at home for our best win of the season. They beat us in the playoffs at their place and were simply the better team; hands down.

The 2005 examples are all playoiff teams and we did not make the playoffs.

Generally when teams meet two or more times the better team wins especially if the lesser team won the first meeting. The Philly game is an interesting study because I believe we are the better team. They beat us twice and fairly handily. I'd argue both of those games were simply bigger to them. Much bigger. Not only is eveyr Cowboy game their Super Bowl but they were determined not to lose to TO and then had a playoff birth hanging in the balance. While we were thinking seeding they needed a win to get in. Thats a bad spot to be in form our standpoint and its something the Eags face this week.

Can they beat a desperate Falcons group? Yes. Will they? Not so sure about that.

 

[Smashmouth24]

That all makes perfect sense to me.
Just look at our overall record the past 6 seasons and it isn't pretty; especially against winning teams.

Take the Carolina example from 2003. We beat them at home for our best win of the season. They beat us in the playoffs at their place and were simply the better team; hands down.

The 2005 examples are all playoiff teams and we did not make the playoffs.

Generally when teams meet two or more times the better team wins especially if the lesser team won the first meeting. The Philly game is an interesting study because I believe we are the better team. They beat us twice and fairly handily. I'd argue both of those games were simply bigger to them. Much bigger. Not only is eveyr Cowboy game their Super Bowl but they were determined not to lose to TO and then had a playoff birth hanging in the balance. While we were thinking seeding they needed a win to get in. Thats a bad spot to be in form our standpoint and its something the Eags face this week.

Can they beat a desperate Falcons group? Yes. Will they? Not so sure about that.

So if the Eagles beat the crappy Falcons, only then are they a better team than the Cowboys?

 

[percyhoward]

That all makes perfect sense to me. Just look at our overall record the past 6 seasons and it isn't pretty; especially against winning teams.

But if you look closer, you'll see two different trends.

In Parcells' first two seasons, we won a total of 3 games against winning teams. In the two seasons since, we've won six. That's a trend of improvement.

In fact, over the last two seasons, when we face a winning team for the first (or only) time, we are a respectable 6-6. That's about normal for a playoff team/division leader.

The other trend, and it's a huge disparity that has continued for the last four years, is when we face the same team a second time. The last two seasons, we're 0-3 (include preseason opponents and we're 0-5), and have been outscored 24-75.

Generally when teams meet two or more times the better team wins especially if the lesser team won the first meeting.

Not when both have winning records.

Current division leaders are 3-4 this year in their second meeting against winning teams.