After three years and a few days, the Cowboys are back in the postseason. In his second year as head coach, Mike McCarthy has already met the first of the challenges since he has been in charge: to get Dallas back among the contenders for the Super Bowl. And for that, logically, the pass to the postseason was the first step.
Now, will the thing stay there? Should not.
As indicated David Moore de Dallas Morning News, Jerry Jones didn’t sign McCarthy just to make it as far as the wild-card round. The owner and general manager of the Cowboys relied on the experience of the head coach after his long period leading the Packers. Team with which, let’s remember, he won a Super Bowl and reached the National Conference final three times.
Precisely for this reason, this Sunday’s game against the 49ers should not be the final destination for the Cowboys this season. Now, the next challenge is to reach the NFC championship game, from which Dallas has been absent for almost three decades. In fact, for McCarthy, this game is the starting point for the cowboy team to reach their goals.
“The message is, when the plane gets to Dallas, that’s the starting point.”McCarthy said last Saturday after the game against Philadelphia. “This is what we have been talking about since April. We’ve had goals all this time. This is how we see this. We see this as the starting point.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy: “The message is, when this plane touches down in Dallas (at around 4 a.m.), that’s the starting line. This is what we’ve been talking about since April. We’ve had goals all along. …This is how we view it. We view this as the starting line.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 9, 2022
Looking at the Cowboys’ numbers in the regular season, there’s no question why expectations are high for the team. And this goes beyond his 12-5 record.
For one thing, we have that Dallas’ offense finished the regular season as the best in the NFL in total yards (407.0 per game) and total points per game (31.2). In addition, she was the second most passing yards per game (282.4) behind the Buccaneers. On the other hand, his rushing attack is in the top ten in the league (9th place with 124.8 yards per game).
On the other side of the ball, the defense is in the middle of the pack in all yards allowed, while 7th in points allowed (21.1 per game). However, its most outstanding section has been that of the turnovers or changes of possession. Dallas led the NFL in total turnovers (34) and interceptions (26). This, in large part, thanks to the 11 interceptions achieved by cornerback Trevon Diggs, who has had a great second year in the NFL.
But that was not all. In the already finished regular season, the Cowboys broke several records individually and collectively. Besides, they returned to have the presence of some of their players both in the Pro Bowl and in the All-Pro. However, there is something that the numbers do not count. At least not at all.
RT to congratulate our first team All-Pros❕????⭐️#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/d2ZT0HEjtS
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 14, 2022
What face of Dallas will we see in the playoffs?
One of the main concerns with this Cowboys team is their irregularity, especially on offense. Basically, the cowboy offense has had two faces. One, seen in the six-game winning streak at the beginning of the season and then in recent wins against Washington and Philadelphia. The other, where the attack led by Prescott has been stalled and has even had to be rescued by the defense.
This leaves the question of which face of the Cowboys we will see against the 49ers in the wild card round. Will we see a team that will fight to the end like the Patriots and Buccaneers? Or will we see a team handcuffed and lacking in reaction as happened against the Broncos and Cardinals?
GO BEAT ????
Teddy Bridgewater reaches out and crosses the end zone line #NFLxFOX
Broncos 27-0 Cowboys @nflmxpic.twitter.com/VKXMvvjzQp
— FOX Impacto NFL (@FOXImpactoNFL) November 7, 2021
We won’t know the answer to this question until Sunday afternoon. The biggest fear, without a doubt, is that the Cowboys will disappoint again as in the last seasons in which they have reached the postseason. It remains to be seen if this group of players is willing to take on the challenge and get Dallas back to a conference finals. And, why not, to the Super Bowl.
