After the devastating loss to the Lions at home, resulting in the worst loss since Jerry Jones bought the team, the Dallas Cowboys are having a massive regroup. They fortunately have two weeks to pull it all together before facing the Niners in San Francisco. The question is, are they capable? Can they still pull a winning season out or have all hopes set sail?
Are the Dallas Cowboys Capable of Still Having a Winning Season in 2024?
The BYE Week Brings a Fresh Start
Although the record is not what was expected, it’s starting somewhere. In fact, it’s starting at a breakeven point. With a record of 3-3, the Cowboys are basically 0-0 with a fresh season to look forward to. Meaning that the possibilities of what will come next are endless.
They’re also starting fresh when it comes to their identity. These Cowboys don’t know who they are right now. They aren’t the team that scored 29 points every game last season. Dak Prescott is trying to take shots and is missing in a big way, primarily due to constant miscommunication with his teammates. In the game vs. the Lions, the Cowboys linemen were giving up blocks. The run game remained as nonexistent as ever. As soon as they failed to create a red zone play, all hope drained from the building. The defense stumbled over themselves, allowing eligible linemen to run passing routes.
In a YouTube video the day of the Lions game, October 12, 2024, Michael Irvin said this about the team: “The Dallas Cowboys today played like they had a vacation on their mind like they know they have the BYE week coming up, and they’ve already taken the BYE week off.” The team looks checked out. If they’re wanting to rebuild morale, identity, and any hope for the fans, then now is as good a time as any to do that.
Can the Dallas Cowboys Realistically Win Six More Games?
Whether the Cowboys do or don’t get themselves and who they are together, there’s a lot of season to still be played. Most of that season comes with many other teams that are likely to be playoff contenders. The few teams that aren’t contenders are still questionable wins if the Cowboys play against them like they played the Ravens, Saints, or Lions.
More than likely, the Cowboys will beat the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants. They’re also likely to beat either the Eagles or the Commanders, even though both of those teams have looked very good. Divisional rivalries tend to bring more passion out of players and create more remarkable gameplay. That still leaves three teams for the Cowboys to beat. With a slate like the Niners, Bengals, Falcons, and Bucs ahead, none of those is easy. Trades would make it better, but the Cowboys organization doesn’t tend to work that way. The biggest chance the Cowboys have is course correcting now or their fate as a losing team will be sealed.
The Season Isn’t Over, But It Quickly Can Be
Beating a true playoff contender is going to take grit and power, something the current Cowboys squad hasn’t shown that they have. However, it isn’t too late to bring it back to life. Professional athletes are competitors. Very rarely will they face a loss without a fight. It’s the coaches’ job to bring that fight back into this dying team or they could find themselves without a job next year.
Having a winning streak on the road is great, but it isn’t enough, especially against a dominant team like the 49ers. For this Cowboys team to have a resurrection, they’ll also need to win at home. The lights are up brighter under the scrutiny of their fans. But also, the love is there too. Dallas Cowboys fans want to see this team turn it around this year instead of watching mediocrity every single Sunday until the 2025 season.
Main Photo: [Andrew Dieb] – USA Today Sports
