Archer: What 3-1 would mean for the Cowboys

[Cotton]

What 3-1 would mean for the Cowboys

September, 26, 2013

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By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas -- Getting to 3-1 on a young NFL season is no means to celebrate, but it’s been a hard record for the Dallas Cowboys to achieve in recent years.

The last time the Cowboys started off 3-1 came in 2008.

Three times in the past four seasons they had opportunities to get to 3-1, but lost to theDenver Broncos in 2009, the Detroit Lions in 2011 and the Chicago Bears in 2012.

The Lions’ loss came after the Cowboys blew a 27-3 lead. Last season’s loss to the Bears was highlighted by five Tony Romo interceptions.

“Since I’ve been here we’ve had shots to go 3-1 and we’ve had some tough losses,” said linebacker Sean Lee, who joined the Cowboys in 2010. “We have to find a way to build that consistency and we understand that it’s building throughout the year and stacking games together is what the great teams do. That’s what we have to do.”

The Cowboys’ next chance to get to 3-1 comes Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. With the rest of the NFC East off to a poor start (the Philadelphia Eagles are the only other division team with a win), a win Sunday would do wonders for the Cowboys’ confidence.

“You’re only worried about yourself but this is when you get separation,” tight end Jason Witten said. “We’ve found ourselves the past two years playing for divisions in Week 17 but you always look back and say, ‘If we had that one,’ or ‘If we had that game early on in the season.’ That’s the way it always is. Every team has that. We’re just trying to create an atmosphere and a mindset of, ‘Let’s go do that.’ I think we’re all tired of talking and we know the results have got to happen. It’s not anything we can just say. We’ve got to see the results.”

But even 3-1 doesn’t guarantee long-term success.

The Cowboys finished 9-7 in 2008 and missed the playoffs.

 

[data]

What does it matter -- We could go 6-1 and still end up out of the playoffs.

 

[ravidubey]

As booze pointed out in another thread I think it would mean a lot to the team itself to finally broken free of the damned 2-2 pattern of average.

Each loss over a team they are better than on paper like San Diego, Detroit, Minn, Oakland, KC, and the Rams represents a major step back for a team that must improve every week.

And they must improve to dominate the remaining divisional games and split with the big four of Denver, GB, Chicago, and New Orleans.

 

[boozeman]

You hate to assume that losing this game could mean the season, but that's how it has rolled for this team the last ten years. Six times they've been 2-1 and lost each time trying to get to 3-1.

A win would be huge considering the schedule isn't going to get much easier than a team like SD, even on the road.

If they lose, get ready for more of the same ol' same ol', stacking good practices on top of another, grinding, etc. just to get to .500 again.

 

[EZ22]

I think we get rolled.

 

[L.T. Fan]

I think we get rolled.

Nunh uhh.

 

[ravidubey]

Dallas is better than San Diego, though the game probably means more to SD than it does for Dallas.

Just imagine the pandemonium if Dallas had cosmically melted down the way the Chargers did losing to Houston week 1. The Chargers have to be reeling from that even though they recovered with a win over Philly the next week.

A home loss now to go 1-3 with two games vs Denver on the schedule almost puts the playoff out of reach.

IMO Dallas is just the better team at this point. I like how Phillip Rivers is playing, but the Cowboys defense is a lot better than the Chargers defense is right now and I see that as being a huge difference.

 

[Carp]

It would be huge...we need to get to 3-1 in a big way, particularly with Denver coming up. We should be talking about 4-0 though...KC is a game we will regret losing this year for possible seeding...I mean we have to win the division this year. If we lost then maybe we are just anither mediocre team....l don't think we are, but you are what your record says you are.

 

[Genghis Khan]

You hate to assume that losing this game could mean the season, but that's how it has rolled for this team the last ten years. Six times they've been 2-1 and lost each time trying to get to 3-1.

A win would be huge considering the schedule isn't going to get much easier than a team like SD, even on the road.

If they lose, get ready for more of the same ol' same ol', stacking good practices on top of another, grinding, etc. just to get to .500 again.

Yep. I hesitate to call this a must win, but the path to the playoffs gets much harder if they lose this game.

The good news is SD isn't particularly tough at home.

 

[boozeman]

Yep. I hesitate to call this a must win, but the path to the playoffs gets much harder if they lose this game.

The good news is SD isn't particularly tough at home.

I think they psychologically need to win to go to 3-1. Otherwise these guys that have been here a while starting thinking here we go again.

 

[GForce78NJ]

I think they psychologically need to win to go to 3-1. Otherwise these guys that have been here a while starting thinking here we go again.

yyyuuuuuuupppppp. exactly

 

[Genghis Khan]

I think they psychologically need to win to go to 3-1. Otherwise these guys that have been here a while starting thinking here we go again.

On the flip side, I worry psychologically what happens if they lose to SD and Denver and fall to 2-3.

 

[boozeman]

On the flip side, I worry psychologically what happens if they lose to SD and Denver and fall to 2-3.

If that happens they unravel in epic fashion.

Manning will tear us a new asshole as it is. We need a win before getting the anal probe.

 

[Simpleton]

If we lose these next two the season will likely play out similarly to the last two, where we are in contention for the division for the entire season but we will have to basically fight back and forth on a week to week basis to stay there. We would likely end up right around 8 or 9 wins and in or out of the playoffs by a game or two.

If we manage to beat the Chargers we will put ourselves in a strong position to potentially put distance between us and the rest of the division where we could possibly end up winning the division with a week or two left in the season, even if we lose to the Broncos which is basically an inevitability.

 

[data]

WE WILL BEAT DENVER. RIDE WITH ME, FOLKS

 

[boozeman]

WE WILL BEAT DENVER. RIDE WITH ME, FOLKS

You might have had me if you used amigos instead of folks.

 

[L.T. Fan]

WE WILL BEAT DENVER. RIDE WITH ME, FOLKS

Will do. Where are the horses parked?

 

[Newt]

On the flip side, I worry psychologically what happens if they lose to SD and Denver and fall to 2-3.

Thats not the Cowboys we know, the Cowboys we have known for the past decade would lose to a mediocre team like SD and come back the next week and beat Denver leaving us all scratching our heads and Jerry handing out contract extensions.

 

[JMech]

Strangely enough, the team has not had trouble with this Manning. Of course, that was a few years ago......

 

[Genghis Khan]

Strangely enough, the team has not had trouble with this Manning. Of course, that was a few years ago......

It was also in the 3-4 which Manning notoriously struggles against but we no longer play.