Cowboys Benefit From Bye Week
The Dallas Cowboys’ status in the NFC East race improved Sunday without benefit of them even breaking a sweat. The ‘Boys were able to warm their toes by the fire and watch as not one…not two…but all three of their division foes fell Sunday afternoon.
While the Washington Redskins and New York Giants were for all practical purposes out of the hunt for the NFC East crown before the slate of games kicked off, the Cowboys were looking up at the Philadelphia Eagles before their visit to Lambeau Field. What ensued was an epic butt-whippin’, much to the delight of the Packer and Cowboy faithful alike.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez got a rude wake up call as his Eagles offense was unable to get much going on the ground or in the air against the Packers’ defense. We in Cowboys Nation can only hope that Dallas was taking notes as to how Green Bay was able to keep Philly in check and hang 53 points on the Eagles’ defense to boot.
The same goes for the New York Giants who fell victim to the San Francisco 49ers to the tune of five INTs by QB Eli Manning. While division rivals always seem to play each other tougher, the visit to the Meadowlands that is looming on the horizon doesn’t appear as daunting as it could have been if the G-Men had been able to get some much-needed momentum by beating the Niners. As it was, though, San Francisco put another NFC East notch in their collective belt albeit with some help from the Giants’ miscues. The same misfortune happened in the Cowboys’s season opener at Jerry’s World as Dallas fell into a huge hole before the first quarter with Frisco was over and were unable to climb out.
The bye gave the Cowboys a chance to heal several banged up players, most notably quarterback Tony Romo. After a victory across the pond over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas is in the thick of the playoff race as they return to action. All hands will need to be on deck as the meat of the schedule, including two games with Philly and road trips to Washington and New York remain. Dallas will also play host to the Indianapolis Colts in the dreaded month of December. In addition, the Cowboys will face off with the Chicago Bears in Solder Field for a game that could prove dangerous if the Bears can build on their Sunday win over the Minnesota Vikings.
While it was a welcome relief for the Cowboys to have some downtime to rejuvenate and refocus on the task at hand, it’s time to get back to football. Hopefully Dallas will be able to keep their eyes on the prize as they prepare for a possible stretch run to post season play.
