The Dallas Cowboys lead in the NFC East increased even through their bye week, as they sat back and watched the Eagles and WFT lose on the road. The Giants did earn an impressive 25-3 win at home vs. the Panthers, but this was far from the most one-sided contest of the first Sunday without Cowboys football for 2021.
Cowboys fans have been eager to look ahead at the bigger picture for this 5-1 team since their impressive head-to-head wins in the division, followed by the continued struggles of these teams. Sunday's results should reinforce the need to appreciate where the Cowboys go on a weekly basis, as well as how quickly any team can be brought down to earth.
If my math is correct, the average margin of victory across the NFL today is 20.8 points.
Never seen this many blowouts in one Sunday before.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 24, 2021
Two of the most lopsided games of the week featured NFC contenders ahead of the Cowboys for seeding taking it to lesser opponents. The Cardinals remained undefeated with a 31-5 win over the Texans and the Buccaneers handled the Bears at home 38-3.
The Cowboys may have sent a wake up call to the Patriots after their overtime win in Foxborough, as they hammered the Jets 54-13 on Sunday. This is the same Jets team that beat the Titans a few weeks ago – who beat the Chiefs 27-3 this week.
The most surprising lopsided score of the week came from a game that has little to do with the Cowboys at all. The Bengals made a statement to the AFC by winning in Baltimore 41-17. Joe Burrow appears to have his team far ahead of schedule in his return from injury. A veteran QB like Dak Prescott doesn't get this benefit of the doubt, expectations have always been high and the Cowboys have so much more to prove.
Of the top teams in the NFC, it's fair to say the Cowboys are the hardest team to put into context when comparing their results to others. They've had games where the defense overperforms, others where the offense carries the defense, and a road win at the Chargers where they held Justin Herbert to 17 points.
A cautious look ahead at their upcoming schedule could warn the Cowboys won't be truly tested until the week before Thanksgiving at earliest. Judging by fan optimism thus far, Halloween night against the Vikings followed by the Broncos and Falcons raises little cause for concern. Of course, this Sunday taught us that all three of these games are a coin flip between statement wins for Dallas or reality check losses.
The closest absolutes that Cowboys Nation can hold onto is that this team is almost certainly going to the playoffs, and from now until those games they'll be taking the field with a quarterback that always gives them a chance. That pre-Thanksgiving game against the Chiefs has looked less daunting since the season began, given the Cowboys prolific offense and Kansas City's enormous struggles on defense.
However you spent the Cowboys bye week, this football Sunday taught us to not expect too much else, and more importantly to enjoy the journey. With so much room to grow on defense, and big name players like Michael Gallup, DeMarcus Lawrence, Neville Gallimore, and La'el Collins all slated to return from injury along the way, the Cowboys are in position to be playing their best football when it matters the most.
