The rollercoaster ride that’s been the Dallas Cowboys 2020 season has come down to one game. After losing Dak Prescott to a season-ending ankle injury, and losing four consecutive games at one point, the Cowboys have won their last three games and are now tied atop the NFC East with the Washington Football Team, needing them to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles coupled with a win against the New York Giants this Sunday to make the postseason.
Hall of Famer and former Cowboys great Troy Aikman joined 105.3 The Fan on Wednesday. The three-time Super Bowl champion had this to say about the Cowboy’s recent turnaround.
“I will say this. I have said it throughout the year. I do feel that the Cowboys are the best team in the division,” Aikman said. “And some would say, ‘Ok well who cares? What does that necessarily mean?’. Well, what I think it means is that they could go into the postseason, and they are capable. We know what they are on the offensive side of the ball, and the defense is playing better. They’re at least getting the takeaways and doing some of the things that they’ve had a hard time doing the last couple of years. And this team is capable, when they’re playing well, I think they’re capable of giving anybody a run.”
The Cowboys defense has been the biggest improvement over the last three weeks. They’ve forced 10 turnovers after only getting 11 in the first 12 games. Also, they’re only allowing 19 points per game over that span.
It’s no secret that the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to the Cowboys is Prescott’s contract situation. After failing to get anything long-term locked up during the offseason, Prescott played on a franchise tag this season worth $31.4 million, which will balloon to around $38 million in 2021 if negotiations fall apart.
Aikman knows all about the elite-level play needed at the quarterback position seeing as he did so for 12 seasons. When the subject of Prescott came about, Aikman had nothing but praise for him and made it known he’d have no problem dishing out cash to get him signed.
“I think when you start handing out money and start talking about franchise quarterbacks, yes, the play on the field is where it begins, but there’s more that factors into that, more so than any other positions,” Aikman said. “These guys that are quarterbacks are the face of your franchise. They’re the CEOs of your franchise. They have to be the ones who really establish the culture and the accountability within the football team. And if you don’t have the right guy in that role, then I think you’re really going to struggle as an organization. And Dak checks every box in my opinion. And, so, that’s why I’ve said for the last couple of years that I wouldn’t hesitate at all to pay him.”
The Cowboys can’t do anything about Prescott’s deal until the offseason. However, they have the chance to bring home their third division title in five years with a win on Sunday, and some help of course.
