- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,010
Bye week works out well for Cowboys
November, 17, 2014
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The bye week could not have worked out any better for the Dallas Cowboys.
With the Philadelphia Eagles losing to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys and Eagles have the same record with six games to play. With the New York Giants losing to the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys’ next opponent has lost five in a row. With the Washington Redskins losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys’ divisional rival dropped to 3-7, just like New York.
Of the Cowboys’ final five opponents, only the Chicago Bears won on Sunday.
The Cowboys (7-3) return to work on Tuesday knowing everything they want is in their control with six games to play.
The Eagles (7-3) are technically in first place in the NFC East because of a 2-0 division record -- the Cowboys are 1-1 -- but the 53-20 loss to the Packers has to damage at least a little of their confidence and shake at least some faith in their current starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who is playing with Nick Foles out.
Only the Arizona Cardinals (9-1) have a better record in the NFC than the Cowboys with the Packers and Detroit Lions also checking in at 7-3. The Cowboys lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Cardinals in a race for home-field advantage, but they will play with their backup quarterback, Drew Stanton, the rest of the way. The Cowboys will be in the mix for a first-round bye as long as they keep winning.
Four of the Cowboys’ final six games are away from AT&T Stadium, including their upcoming meeting with the Giants. Playing on the road might not be such a bad thing for the Cowboys, who are 4-0 as the visitor this season.
The off weekend allowed starters like Tony Romo, Rolando McClain and Tyrone Crawford to heal up, and allowed others to rest up. Romo did not take part in the two brief practices the Cowboys held last week. Crawford sat out as well, but said he expects to play against the Giants. McClain was able to practice, which is a good sign for his availability.
Having beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium on Nov. 9, the Cowboys were able to stop a two-game losing streak and return to the form that saw them win six in a row in September and October.
“I think there is a good formula in place on how we play football,” tight end Jason Witten said last week. “It’s so week to week in how you play and how you have to go do it. Just because it’s a good formula and you can run the football well, I don’t know if that equates to wins. So we put ourselves in good position. Now we got to go do it.”
November, 17, 2014
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The bye week could not have worked out any better for the Dallas Cowboys.
With the Philadelphia Eagles losing to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys and Eagles have the same record with six games to play. With the New York Giants losing to the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys’ next opponent has lost five in a row. With the Washington Redskins losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys’ divisional rival dropped to 3-7, just like New York.
Of the Cowboys’ final five opponents, only the Chicago Bears won on Sunday.
The Cowboys (7-3) return to work on Tuesday knowing everything they want is in their control with six games to play.
The Eagles (7-3) are technically in first place in the NFC East because of a 2-0 division record -- the Cowboys are 1-1 -- but the 53-20 loss to the Packers has to damage at least a little of their confidence and shake at least some faith in their current starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who is playing with Nick Foles out.
Only the Arizona Cardinals (9-1) have a better record in the NFC than the Cowboys with the Packers and Detroit Lions also checking in at 7-3. The Cowboys lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Cardinals in a race for home-field advantage, but they will play with their backup quarterback, Drew Stanton, the rest of the way. The Cowboys will be in the mix for a first-round bye as long as they keep winning.
Four of the Cowboys’ final six games are away from AT&T Stadium, including their upcoming meeting with the Giants. Playing on the road might not be such a bad thing for the Cowboys, who are 4-0 as the visitor this season.
The off weekend allowed starters like Tony Romo, Rolando McClain and Tyrone Crawford to heal up, and allowed others to rest up. Romo did not take part in the two brief practices the Cowboys held last week. Crawford sat out as well, but said he expects to play against the Giants. McClain was able to practice, which is a good sign for his availability.
Having beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium on Nov. 9, the Cowboys were able to stop a two-game losing streak and return to the form that saw them win six in a row in September and October.
“I think there is a good formula in place on how we play football,” tight end Jason Witten said last week. “It’s so week to week in how you play and how you have to go do it. Just because it’s a good formula and you can run the football well, I don’t know if that equates to wins. So we put ourselves in good position. Now we got to go do it.”
