It was a painful season. Ever since the Cowboys were destroyed by the Denver Broncos back in week 2, things didn't go as planned. We hoped our team would turn it around, but ultimately they didn't. Deep down, one can say we knew all along.
Tyron Smith and Sean Lee were injured, Ezekiel Elliott was suspended, Dak Prescott struggled and Dez Bryant failed to become a dangerous threat.
Everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong.
And here we sit, with a 9-7 record, ready to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play in the Super Bowl. Just when all of Cowboys Nation thought things couldn't be worse, one of their biggest and most hated rivals will get to play in “The Big One.”
The Nick Foles-led Eagles still have to beat the Tom Brady-led Patriots to hold a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history, but even if they lose, they were a very impressive football team in 2017.
What they did is remarkable.
As Cowboys fans, there will always be something inside of us that makes us hate the Philadelphia Eagles. The fact that they're in our division should be more than enough. But while we may discuss whether Cowboys fans should be rooting for the Patriots or the Eagles, the truth is…
The Cowboys should learn from the Philadelphia Eagles.
For Dallas, it's always something. A tiny thing ends up being the reason why an entire football season goes to waste. At some point though, these stop being reasons and become just plain excuses.
Personally, as a young football fan, it's been a lifetime of unfulfilled promises justified by excuses.
The excuses are often reasonable, but they are not acceptable. This is a 20-year stretch that would have earned any other franchise a 16-game schedule with nothing but noon kickoffs.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia just MacGyver'd themselves to a Super Bowl appearance.
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) January 22, 2018
And while we're all still mad about the NFL suspending the Cowboys' star over a simple accusation, the Eagles stepped up big time.
We lost Tyron Smith for some games, they lost Jason Peters for the year.
Sean Lee was injured for a few weeks, Jordan Hicks ruptured his Achilles tendon.
Philadelphia also overcame the loss of CB Ronald Darby, K Caleb Sturgis, RB Darren Sproles, and DT Fletcher Cox.
One at a time, the Eagles overcame these injuries and instead of just preaching the “next man up” mentality, they applied it better than any other team in the league.
Then Carson Wentz took a huge (and maybe unnecessary) risk in week 14 versus the Los Angeles Rams by diving into the end zone. An ACL injury to the then MVP-front-runner changed the faith of the #1 seed in the NFC… except it didn't.
Not even the loss of the Eagles' franchise quarterback stopped them from upsetting the Falcons and the Vikings in the playoffs to finally make it to Minnesota in February.
They were able to face adversity and punch it in the mouth every time they did. They were able to make adjustments and execute. Both players and coaches, they were able to step up when things got tough.
The Cowboys' offense went from great to below-average without Ezekiel Elliott, and Sean Lee's absence turned the defense into a terrible one.
It's not easy seeing one of the Cowboys' biggest rivals play in the Super Bowl. And knowing that Dallas should learn from them can make it a bit tougher. But at the end of the day, they schooled the Cowboys.
The Eagles taught the Cowboys a lesson that hopefully, will get this franchise to try harder.
