For the Dallas Cowboys, the playoffs have begun a bit earlier. After putting themselves in a tough position, they need to win out in order to have a shot at playing in January… and even then, they need a ton of outside help to make it.
Less than a year ago, we saw the Cowboys become the #1 seed in the conference with a 13-3 record under rookie QB Dak Prescott. So naturally, it's fair to say that the fact that after 14 weeks the record of this football team is 7-6 is very disappointing.
Some have even questioned, are they even worthy of being a playoffs team?
Despite suffering from some key injuries and well… suspensions, the Cowboys shouldn't be left off the hook. Players and coaches should be blamed. But even still, it's hard to believe that Dallas wouldn't have win at least one more game with Tyron Smith, Sean Lee or Ezekiel Elliott available.
I'm convinced that if Zeke hadn't been suspended, the Cowboys would at least have one more win. If that were the case, we probably wouldn't be suffering thinking about what combinations would get our favorite team in the postseason.
All of this makes me wonder… Do we know what this team is capable of?
I think not. Let's take a quick look at the games Dallas has lost this year.
- @ DEN Broncos
- vs LA Rams (No Sean Lee, Cowboys' defense allowed 35 points)
- vs GB Packers (No Sean Lee, Cowboys' defense allowed 28 points)
- @ ATL Falcons (No Tyron Smith, no Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys scored seven points)
- vs PHI Eagles (No Tyron Smith, no Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys scored nine points)
- vs LA Chargers (No Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys scored six points)
I believe in the “next man up” mentality. But not when you're talking about going from Tyron Smith, who is arguably the best LT in the league to Chaz Green and Byron Bell. Sure, the coaching staff should've made a change earlier when Green was getting Dak killed, but Bell wasn't much better.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to make excuses for this football team at all. In fact, it's the same thing when you take a look at wins. Through 14 weeks, the Cowboys have just been able to beat one NFL team with a winning record: The Kansas City Chiefs. The thing is, despite being 7-6, the Chiefs are 2-8 since week 6. I'm not sure I'd qualify that as a winning team.
We haven't seen this team face a strong, winning opponent and actually beat them. The Cowboys have one more game to win without Zeke, and then they'll be on to face the Seattle Seahawks. If Dallas gets to that game with an 8-6 record, the outcome of the Seattle game could define the Cowboys' 2017 season.
With Ezekiel Elliott, Sean Lee and Tyron Smith all ready to go, it'd be the first time this year we see the Cowboys go against a quality opponent with all of their star players. Will this defining game come too late? Perhaps. It's no secret that the Cowboys need a ton of outside help in order to get into the playoffs with 10-6 record.
But at least, it'd be nice to see our team at least doing the job they can control and winning out. Even if it'd be painful to see them go 10-6 and still miss the playoffs… as fans, we probably want to see them doing their job.
For now though, it's all about the Oakland Raiders. One more week without Ezekiel Elliott. After surviving a trap game against the Giants, the Cowboys must do the same again as they prepare to face a football team that has also been disappointing this season but still has dangerous play-makers, such as Derek Carr.
And then, we might find out just how good the 2017 Dallas Cowboys really are.
