With three games left, we discussed last week all the possible outcomes of a tie for first place in the NFC East between the Cowboys and Eagles. The Eagles would win by a close margin if they had to go to the fifth scenario in order to break the deadlock.
Let’s simplify what needs to happen in order for the 10-5 Cowboys to win the NFC East title, even though most people think the 11-4 Eagles will easily repeat as champions after they defeated the Cowboys 22-20 in Miami and the Eagles 33-25.
The Cowboys have to win their first game, which is against the 11-4 NFC North Division champion Detroit Lions on Saturday night. Then, oh no, they have to go on the road and defeat the 4-11 Washington Commanders. The Cowboys would go 8-0 at home if it were to occur, coming in at 8-1 at home the previous season. The 1980 and 1981 squads are the only other two occasions the Cowboys have gone 8-0 at home.
The Cowboys would also snap a two-game losing streak on the road and enter the playoffs with a two-game winning streak if they defeated Washington, improving their road record to 4-5.
That’s all the Cowboys’ fault then.
But if the Cowboys are to keep up their half of the agreement, they will require a little assistance from their buddies for the third time during this last stretch of games. With the Giants defeating the Eagles in the season finale, they would ideally require assistance. With the Cowboys and Eagles splitting their two-game series, that would create a 12-5 tie for first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys would then win the division title based on their superior NFC East record, going 5-1 against the Eagles 4-2, the two teams then losing to each other, and the Eagles dropping their final game to the Giants.
All of this, though, depends on this second take.
Tyron Oh, Tyron The Cowboys are crossing their fingers that Tyron Smith, a potential Hall of Fame left tackle, will be fit to play against the Lions on Saturday night. Tyron hasn’t practiced in the last two days due to a back injury, and head coach Mike McCarthy stated that his availability will depend on whether or not he can complete Friday’s practice. However, despite missing Sunday’s game in Miami, Tyron Jones’ owner, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, appeared to be relatively optimistic about Tyron’s ability to play when I paid close attention to him on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning. Jerry responded, “Hopefully Tyron will come on around.” “We gave him an injection last week, and that typically helps. Tyron, he is a tremendous difference maker, so maybe we can have him.
” Tyron’s past back spasms are frequently relieved by that technique. If he is able to play, this will be big. Because Chuma Edoga, the backup starter, not only struggled against the Dolphins but was listed as limited with a toe on the team’s injury report on Wednesday during the team’s last complete practice of the week. “Obviously, you have a Hall of Famer Tyron Smith not being there,” said CeeDee Lamb in reference to Tyron’s absence from the game. We really miss him out there because he’s so important to our offense.”
And Now: We have a better understanding of the Cowboys’ reasoning behind moving second-year tackle Matt Waletzko off of injured reserve on Wednesday. Not only was it to keep him off of injured reserve for the remainder of the season, since his 21-day deadline for returning to practice was about to expire, but it might also be for depth in case Edoga is unable to play. The Cowboys cut veteran linebacker Rashaan Evans, who had only played seven snaps in the previous four games, to make place for Waletzko.
Crazy: Tony Pollard, the running back for the Cowboys, is still furious that the team botched the exchange and lost the ball on the Miami one-yard line. Not angry with rookie fullback Hunter Luepke, who kept driving for the goal line, seemed unaware that the ball was on the ground on that first-and-goal play from the Miami 1, and seemed shocked that quarterback Dak Prescott was actually throwing him the ball. Not at all, but at him. When Pollard took a handoff and chose to cut inside rather than use his speed to get around the edge for a score, the Cowboys were down two and one at the Miami 2. “I wasn’t confident that (Luepke) was at fault. I ought to have entered the play earlier. Should have continued to the outside,” she said, adding, “I was furious about it.”
Lions Roar: Not only did the Lions win 11 games to secure their first division title since they were in the NFC Central in 1993, but they also achieved a significant milestone by winning those 11 games. In Detroit’s history, this has only happened three other times: in a 14-game season in 1962, in 1991 when they defeated the Cowboys in the second round of the playoffs, and in 2014 when the Cowboys defeated the Lions in the first round of the playoffs.
Leftovers: With two additional of goals on Sunday, rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey extends his career-long string of 33 straight made and goals. He also leads the NFL in points scored (141), setting a record for the Cowboys in a single season. Oh dear… With seven home games under their belt, the Homebody Cowboys have averaged 39.9 points, which is third highest scoring average since the 1970 NFL merger, only surpassed by Mike McCarthy’s 2011 Packers (40.1) and the 2011 Saints (41.1). Since Detroit ranks third in running offense, the Cowboys’ 19th-ranked defense against the run will have yet another challenge.
The final word will go to owner Jerry Jones, who will attempt to explain, in the most politically correct way possible, why Micah Parsons—who leads the NFL with 85 quarterback pressures—may have gone 38 quarters without a holding call when it is abundantly clear that offensive linemen are clinging on for dear life and the Lionbacks are still tied for third place in terms of sack totals with 13.
“I don’t think the intention is to take a player with his level of skill and limit him,” Jones stated during his radio interview on 105.3. “They want a holding penalty within a specific range for holding, which is one of the judgment concerns here. What is meant by that? That means if they believe the player would not have reached the quarterback, they often won’t call a holding penalty. Give that some thought for a moment. We still have that judgment while officiating.
“If they believe he wouldn’t have arrived, that doesn’t benefit Parsons since he consistently arrives there, nearly as soon as the ball is snapped. Although it seems obvious, that is the case. And since he finishes so much, anything restricting ought to be put on hold.”
Whether it’s done with one hand, two hands, hands to the face, or even the chop block I saw during the Miami game, it doesn’t matter.