DAVID MOORE
Staff Writer
Follow @DavidMooreDMN
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING — Players were in a good mood Tuesday as they returned to work at Valley Ranch.
Why not? Nine days removed from their last game, the Cowboys reconvened with the knowledge that only one team in the NFC has a better record. As they took a long weekend to rest and recharge, many of them watched Green Bay throttle Philadelphia to allow them to ease into a tie with the Eagles atop the NFC East.
The Cowboys have exceeded expectations as they take a 7-3 record into their upcoming game with the New York Giants. They are in prime position to end a four-year playoff drought.
But anyone who assumes this team will make the playoffs ignores the heavy lifting that remains.
Anyone who believes all the Cowboys must do is split their final six games to earn a spot is thinking with their hearts rather than their head.
Ten wins doesn’t guarantee a team a playoff berth in the NFC if it doesn’t win the division.
Ask Arizona.
While it’s true only one team in the conference owns a better record than the Cowboys, three other teams boast an identical 7-3 record. Two other teams are at 6-4.
Those two are the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco.
Can the Cowboys slip into the playoffs with a 10-6 record without besting the Eagles for the division title? Maybe. But that would likely allow a series of tiebreakers to enter the picture.
If the season ended today — a phrase that will be thrown out much too frequently in the coming days and weeks —Philadelphia, Detroit, Arizona and Atlanta would be your division winners in the conference. That leaves two wild cards.
That leaves the Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks and 49ers to fight for the final two spots. At the moment, the edge goes to the Cowboys and Packers. But one week, one unexpected loss can quickly change the landscape.
The bottom line: If the Cowboys finish 3-3, the odds are they will be in a fight for their playoff lives with three other teams. The number of wins isn’t the only factor at that stage.
It’s about picking up the right wins. It’s about hoping you finish tied with a team that you win the head-to-head tiebreaker (Seattle) rather than falling into a three-way tie (Seattle and San Francisco) that will bring other factors into play that won’t be as favorable to your case.
Too many variables remain in play if the Cowboys are .500 the rest of the way.
Head coach Jason Garrett refuses to let his players gaze past the next game on the schedule. But at this stage, you should assume the Cowboys must win four of their final six games.
Assume the Cowboys must finish with an 11-5 record to return to the playoffs.
None of this is meant to dampen optimism. The Cowboys are in a good spot. An argument can be made that they are the favorites to win the NFC East since Tony Romo is the starting quarterback while Philadelphia must rely on backup Mark Sanchez.
But if backup Colt McCoy can lead Washington to a win over the Cowboys, as he did last month, Sanchez is capable of doing the same with the Eagles.
Since we’re dealing with assumptions here, let’s add one more. A rested team coming off the bye week, a team that hasn’t lost on the road this season should be able to go into the Meadowlands and take care of business against a Giants team that has lost five straight.
That sounds good until you realize that teams coming off the bye week are 10-16 in the NFL this season.
“Wow, that is kind of surprising,’’ Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter said.
“I think those [first] 10 games we did play, we did really well. But those games are behind us. We’ve just got to keep looking forward, one game at a time and keep working.’’
A lot of work remains.
These Cowboys can make the playoffs. They probably should. But don’t assume they will.
Not yet.
Staff Writer
Follow @DavidMooreDMN
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING — Players were in a good mood Tuesday as they returned to work at Valley Ranch.
Why not? Nine days removed from their last game, the Cowboys reconvened with the knowledge that only one team in the NFC has a better record. As they took a long weekend to rest and recharge, many of them watched Green Bay throttle Philadelphia to allow them to ease into a tie with the Eagles atop the NFC East.
The Cowboys have exceeded expectations as they take a 7-3 record into their upcoming game with the New York Giants. They are in prime position to end a four-year playoff drought.
But anyone who assumes this team will make the playoffs ignores the heavy lifting that remains.
Anyone who believes all the Cowboys must do is split their final six games to earn a spot is thinking with their hearts rather than their head.
Ten wins doesn’t guarantee a team a playoff berth in the NFC if it doesn’t win the division.
Ask Arizona.
While it’s true only one team in the conference owns a better record than the Cowboys, three other teams boast an identical 7-3 record. Two other teams are at 6-4.
Those two are the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco.
Can the Cowboys slip into the playoffs with a 10-6 record without besting the Eagles for the division title? Maybe. But that would likely allow a series of tiebreakers to enter the picture.
If the season ended today — a phrase that will be thrown out much too frequently in the coming days and weeks —Philadelphia, Detroit, Arizona and Atlanta would be your division winners in the conference. That leaves two wild cards.
That leaves the Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks and 49ers to fight for the final two spots. At the moment, the edge goes to the Cowboys and Packers. But one week, one unexpected loss can quickly change the landscape.
The bottom line: If the Cowboys finish 3-3, the odds are they will be in a fight for their playoff lives with three other teams. The number of wins isn’t the only factor at that stage.
It’s about picking up the right wins. It’s about hoping you finish tied with a team that you win the head-to-head tiebreaker (Seattle) rather than falling into a three-way tie (Seattle and San Francisco) that will bring other factors into play that won’t be as favorable to your case.
Too many variables remain in play if the Cowboys are .500 the rest of the way.
Head coach Jason Garrett refuses to let his players gaze past the next game on the schedule. But at this stage, you should assume the Cowboys must win four of their final six games.
Assume the Cowboys must finish with an 11-5 record to return to the playoffs.
None of this is meant to dampen optimism. The Cowboys are in a good spot. An argument can be made that they are the favorites to win the NFC East since Tony Romo is the starting quarterback while Philadelphia must rely on backup Mark Sanchez.
But if backup Colt McCoy can lead Washington to a win over the Cowboys, as he did last month, Sanchez is capable of doing the same with the Eagles.
Since we’re dealing with assumptions here, let’s add one more. A rested team coming off the bye week, a team that hasn’t lost on the road this season should be able to go into the Meadowlands and take care of business against a Giants team that has lost five straight.
That sounds good until you realize that teams coming off the bye week are 10-16 in the NFL this season.
“Wow, that is kind of surprising,’’ Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter said.
“I think those [first] 10 games we did play, we did really well. But those games are behind us. We’ve just got to keep looking forward, one game at a time and keep working.’’
A lot of work remains.
These Cowboys can make the playoffs. They probably should. But don’t assume they will.
Not yet.
at Garrett controlling anything.