After capturing a victory over the Seahawks last Thursday, the chances of the Cowboys making it to the playoffs are greater than 99%. Obviously, Dallas is officially punching their ticket, attempting to reach the promised land. They have no worries since there won’t be an early Christmas miracle for them to be knocked out of contention. The only thing that Dallas needs to do is stay healthy to remain a legitimate contender.
It has always been a problem for the team and a reason why they don’t make it far into the competition. Dallas fans know what teams to avoid once the playoffs start. Teams like San Francisco and Green Bay have given them memories that Cowboy fans want to erase. However, the Cowboys have the right ingredients in front of them, it’s up to them to cook.
The keyboard warriors have been having a field day every season if the Cowboys do make the playoffs. Dallas fans, of course, don’t care about the everyday criticism since it’s normal. Dak Prescott and other players on the team are definitely not worried, as many of them are promising to enter the MVP conversations. Prescott said it himself, he does not care and has the pen.
Prescott silenced the critics after defeating the Seahawks, “I understand nobody’s opinion defines me, that’s the great part about life and that’s the great opportunity that we all have, that people can say whatever they want, but you know I have the pen, I have the paper and I’m the one writing.”
Here are three ways the Dallas Cowboys can rewrite history and have playoff success.
Three Ways the Dallas Cowboys Can Have Playoff Success
Stay Healthy
Some of the Dallas Cowboys key starters need to remain healthy so they can have a legitimate chance. However, Dallas has struggled in that realm and it’s always an injury that the team anticipates. The loss of Trevon Diggs and Leighton Vander Esch is definitely putting a hit on the team’s success. The big games are where it counts and that’s what Dallas is always lacking every year.
This includes the soul-crushing loss to the 49ers earlier this season in their home. The stage was set in front of millions, but Dallas failed to capitalize to put on a show. Of course, the Cowboys were heading into the game with injury issues as the injury bug continued to bite. Dallas does have young talent that has been having tremendous success.
Players like DaRon Bland, Markquese Bell and Osa Odighizuwa have all stepped up to become the future as it remains bright. But, some veterans are likely to be walking out the door after the season. Tyron Smith has always dealt with more injuries than what Dallas fans always anticipate. As long as Dallas can muster up the offensive line from shattering, go to town.
Play Aggressively
Micah Parsons knows a thing or two about playing aggressively. He rather show it on the field than talk about it. But, when it counts, it always falls flat and forces Dallas to go back to the drawing board. Particularly, the Cowboys don’t have any glaring issues yet heading to cap off the season. The only issue that remains is if they want it enough.
This is the message that’s left to finish their story for the fans and the league to remember. The league will continue to criticize and poke fun at America’s team so why not use it as fuel to give them a show? This is momentum building up and the players need to be disciplined before each game.
The Cowboys know they tend to get comfortable when the advantage is on their side. For example, even though they blew Washington and Carolina out of the water, they still struggled all three-quarters of the game. It seemed like it was coming down to the wire until they finally came out of their coma to blow them out. Luckily, Mike McCarthy has been having a rotation of talent on deck to put them in the game if they have a large lead
Don’t get too loose, Dallas, remain tight and take every game with a grain of salt.
Winning When It Counts
Dallas has, unfortunately, a long history of winning all their winnable games, but not the ones that are on the big stage. The Cowboys know that they can win all their games, but once, and if they lose one round of the playoffs, then all of what they worked for goes out the window. So, it’s all a mental battle that it comes down to.
It’s up to the Dallas Cowboys if they want it enough to silence critics and prove they are one of the most complete teams in the league. Let’s take the critics, fans, and the media out of the conversation and let the Cowboys do all the talking.
Main Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
