The Cowboys closed out Christmas Eve with a win against the Philadelphia Eagles, and with only two weeks left of the regular season, the Cowboys are coming into playoff form.
There were moments in last week's game against the Eagles that surely had us all scratching our heads and seeing this Dallas defense give up 34 points to a Gardner Minshew-led Eagles team was disheartening, to say the least.
However, this game improved the Cowboys to 7-1 on the year against teams with a winning record, which is the best in the NFL. In previous years, the Cowboys would beat up on the bad teams, and seemingly fall short to the good teams. Saturday's game against the Eagles is exactly what a playoff game will look like, and the Cowboys showed us they can win those games when it really matters.
When playing the best, the @dallascowboys are at their best 😤 pic.twitter.com/FYphYIVjX8
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) December 26, 2022
I wouldn't worry about the defense as much as we think we should. The Cowboys played arguably the best team in the league on Saturday and clawed their way to a victory with every opportunity they were given. This defense is really missing LB Leighton Vander Esch and DT Jonathan Hankins in the running game, who should be available come time for the playoffs.
When it comes to the offense, the Cowboys are firing on all cylinders. Aside from Dak Prescott's ugly interception during the Cowboys' first possession, Prescott had a monstrous day, and arguably one of the best games of his career. In fact, Dak Prescott is now tied with Joe Burrow with a completion percentage of 75% or better in 2022. Since Prescott's return in week 7, Dallas leads the league in offensive points-per-game (34.6).
Dak Prescott is tied with Joe Burrow for the most games with a completion percentage of 75%-or-better in 2022, with 5.
Since Dak returned from injury in Week 7, Dallas leads the NFL in offensive points-per-game (34.6). Philadelphia is second (30.8), Cincinnati is third (28.1)
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 27, 2022
Whether the Dallas defense is playing lockdown football or not, the Cowboys are a playoff-caliber team and have proven all year why they have the makings to make a deep run this year. With only a few weeks remaining until the playoffs begin, the Cowboys still control their own destiny and are in contention for the NFC East title and #1 overall seed in the playoffs.
The Cowboys have a daunting match-up this Thursday against the Tennessee Titans, and the Cowboys will need to win out the rest of the way to have a chance at winning the NFC East. The Titans' season will ultimately be decided in week 18 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, so this game against the Cowboys will not have any implications on their postseason future. It remains to be seen if RB Derrick Henry or any of the other key Titans players will be available.
If the Cowboys want to carry on this momentum as we head into the postseason, then this Thursday against the Titans will be a test for this team and how they can adjust to a smashmouth, physical team.
