With a 12-4 record, the Dallas Cowboys await their final results as they will play the Washington Commanders on Sunday. With a win, they will advance to a 13-4 record, the most wins since 2016 for the Cowboys. With a loss, they will tie their record from last year of 12-5. However, I got to thinking, which team had the greater season between the 2021 Cowboys and 2022 Cowboys?
I have already compared both teams in terms of how well the actual players and team are as a whole in my “Are the 2022 Cowboys better than the 2021 Cowboys?” But for this article, I will be explaining who I think had the better season.
First to start with the stats between both teams. While the Cowboys' defense was pretty elite last year, they took it to a whole new level this season. Yes, over the last few games, the defense has seemed to decline a bit but that still doesn't take away the fact that they have been a top-three defense for most of the season.
While the defense has been swell, the offense hasn't. At the start of the year after Quarterback Dak Prescott was injured, the offense didn't pick back up until his return five weeks later. Yes, Quarterback Cooper Rush carried the team to some great wins, but the offense just wasn't up to par like last season. Still, over the last few games the offense has been very successful and has rebounded very well.
It still doesn't reach the amount of success that the 2021 Cowboys had on offense. They finished as the #1 best offense in the league last year.
Moving on, sometimes how you beat teams doesn't matter, what can be important is who you beat. The Cowboys have a record of 5-1 against teams with a record above .500. Last season, the Cowboys had a record of 3-3 against those types of teams (including post-season). A much better season than last year against teams that win games.
When looking at last season, it seems that the Cowboys didn't beat too many “good” teams. When we did play the good ones we usually lost to them like the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers. I think in terms of who had the better season, it's leaning toward the 2022 Cowboys.
Another form of proof that I see is a winning mentality with this team. Last season the Cowboys wanted to win but it almost seemed like they were “ok” with losing. This year, the players don't want to get near a loss. When they do happen to lose, they get angry and realize they can do better.
I feel like the players care more about this season than last. Earlier in the year when Dak was injured, many fans thought the season was over at the start, but these players proved to be special and went 4-1 in Dak's absence. That showed me that this team means a lot to them and so does the fanbase.
The last little bit is somewhat of a stretch, but I can see a difference this year from last in terms of how the players are. They are hungry and aggressive. If the 2022 Cowboys were to play the 2021 Cowboys, The score would probably be around 32-24 with the 2022 Cowboys winning. Let's hope that these differences can carry us into the playoffs with some wins and not losses.
