Very few football teams are perfect and the Dallas Cowboys never claimed to be perfect. Well, Dez Bryant(notes) came as close as you can when he called his team unbeatable before the Philadelphia Eagles whipped them a short time later. But the point is, no one in the NFL is unbeatable, except maybe the Green Bay Packers.
The Dallas Cowboys are definitely beatable. I don't care if they did jump out to a big lead on Detroit before the Lions roared back to beat them thanks to Tony Romo(notes) interceptions. The fact is they lost that game. But they also beat the San Francisco 49ers, who have the second best record in the NFC and should end up as the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
St. Louis and Tampa Bay beat the New Orleans Saints. Chicago beat Atlanta. New Orleans and Detroit beat Chicago. Atlanta and San Francisco beat Detroit. Detroit beat Dallas who beat San Francisco. The only thing that remains constant is Green Bay, who beat New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit. Outside of the Packers, who in contention in the NFC is the second best team? Heck, who is the sixth best?
The point is that Dallas barely beat Washington and Miami. But, they beat them. The Cowboys are not any worse than any other team that is fighting for a playoff spot. They have a solid quarterback who is playing some of the best football of his career right now, even with the two picks against Miami. They have finally found a running back that can help them control the clock. They have three great wide receivers as soon as Miles Austin(notes) comes back and one of the best tight ends in the NFL. The offensive line is finally learning how to block and the defense is one of the best in the NFC, although apt to slip up here and there.
This Dallas Cowboys team can go a long way this season. I don't care that they only beat Miami by one point on a last second field goal. I am impressed they fought back to win it as time ran out. I feel the same about the overtime win over Washington. Pessimists call it bad that they had to fight back to win. I see it as proof that Dallas has an intestinal fortitude I have not seen from them in a long time.
I think, from their close wins, this is a team that has finally bonded. For years, Dallas lost the close ones. Now, they are winning them. A lot of people left them for dead early in the season. It's time to see if the Cowboys are finally really back for good. The biggest test will be in two weeks against the Giants.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team.
