Posted on October 21, 2019, by Travis Pulver
During the first three weeks of the NFL season, the bandwagon for the Dallas Cowboys got a bit crowded. Dak Prescott was suddenly the best quarterback ever. Jason Garrett deserved an extension, and hiring Kellen Moore despite his lack of experience was a genius move.
But then the wheels fell off the wagon, and they lost three in a row. As quickly as the bandwagon filled up, it began to empty. Are they really any good, or were they just a bi-product of an incredibly easy three-game slate to start the season?
Fans hoping for a little clarity Sunday night may feel like they got some with the way the Cowboys dismantled their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. Powered by an efficient Dak Prescott, a dominant performance by Ezekiel Elliot, and a stellar job by the defense, the Cowboys dominated the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, 37-10.
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“No doubt in my mind about how we were going to come out and perform tonight,” Prescott said after the game, via ESPN. “….We didn’t have to say everything hit the fan, let’s start over. We doubled down on who we are and just got better.”
The Dallas defense got the game off to a good start by forcing two turnovers on the Eagles side, giving the offense a short field– which it turned into two early touchdowns. But they didn’t stop there, and kept the pressure turned up on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz all night, forcing four turnovers and sacking him three times.
However, the offense, while slow to get started, did its part as well. Between Elliot, Prescott, rookie Tony Pollard, and Tavon Austin, the Cowboys ran for 189 yards on the Eagles defense. The Eagles had been only allowing 73 rushing yards a game this season.
Elliot was also the last running back to run for over 100-yards against the Eagles defense (which he did last season in both games against the Eagles, with 113 and 151 yards).
So—what does this win mean for the Cowboys? Is it time, or safe, to get back on the bandwagon?
The win means the team is now 4-3 and in complete control of their own destiny. They have gone 3-0 against division opponents, but they only have a one-game lead on the Eagles. So, all it will take is a couple of lackluster games, like they had against the Jets, to go from being division front runners to be on the outside looking in.
But as for the bandwagon, fair-weather fans may want to hold off before jumping back in, just yet. While the Eagles are often talked about as a great and dominant team, they don’t seem to play like it. They entered the game with the same 3-3 record as the Cowboys. However, while Dallas could have been 5-1, the Eagles were lucky they were not 1-5.
About that bandwagon…Fans that are already on it should enjoy the win and stay right where they are. It was a good win, but just a win over an overrated Eagles team. We will not really know what we have in the Dallas Cowboys until they face off with better teams like the Vikings and Lions in a couple of weeks.
If we don’t know what we have in the Cowboys by then, we’ll certainly get a better idea when they face the Patriots in Week 12