As the last game of the regular season of the National Football League schedule approaches, it is simple to reflect on the Dallas Cowboys’ season and recollect the crazy ride that the past few months have been during the course of the season. However, regardless of whether you believe the squad has overachieved or underperformed, there is one thing that is certain: this team will be participating in the playoffs for the third season in a row.
Do you remember how terrible the year 2020 was? There is little doubt that the epidemic made life quite miserable; yet, the terrible season that the Cowboys had that year also failed to bring even the slightest bit of brightness to those gloomy days. It was the last time the club did not make it to the postseason, and this is something that stands out when considering the way the ‘Boys have concluded their seasons over the past couple of decades.
In point of fact, this season is historically significant since it is the first time since the golden days of 1996 that a Cowboys team has made three consecutive visits in the playoffs. During his career, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott’s beloved quarterback predecessor, only managed to make two consecutive appearances in the playoffs once. This was during the first two years of his tenure as the team’s starting quarterback, which were 06 and 07 respectively.
A week ago, it appeared that Dallas would begin its playoff run on the road; however, thanks to a referee-assisted victory against the Detroit Lions and a shocking loss by the Philadelphia Eagles to the lowly Arizona Cardinals, Dallas is not only going to be in a position to secure a spot in the playoffs, but it will also soon be able to host its opening round matchup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
At this point in time, the path to a division championship and a home playoff game as the second seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) is as transparent and uncomplicated as it is possible to be. It is sufficient for the Cowboys to triumph over the Washington Commanders, who are among the poorest teams in the National Football League (NFL) this season, and they will have completed both of their goals.
In addition to the win-loss record, the home team has had a relatively good week overall throughout the course of the past week. Thursday was the day that seven players, including Brandon Aubrey, who is a first-year kicker, were selected to participate in the Pro Bowl.
In its review of the NFC East, ESPN summarized it as simply as is required, despite the fact that there are more intricate playoff and division-clinching possibilities in other parts of the league:
During the 2023 NFL season, both ties and defeats to the Commanders are exceedingly unlikely and uncommon. Ties are also extremely rare. Based on the information provided by BetMGM as of Friday morning, the Cowboys are a 13-point favorite over the Washington Redskins. Due to the fact that there is a high probability that the game will be a blowout early on and that stars like Prescott, Micah Parsons, and CeeDee Lamb may be taken out of the game early for playoff measures, our guess is that the spread is only thirteen points.
On Sunday, a victory for the Cowboys or a defeat for the Eagles will both result in the continuation of one of the most intriguing streaks in all of the major American professional sports. Ever since the Eagles won their second consecutive title in 2004, the NFC East has not had a team that has won the championship more than once. It would be yet another amazing feather for the Cowboys to add to their cap for the 2023 season if they were to win the division championship this weekend on account of the fact that the Eagles were a unanimous choice among national commentators to be the champions this year.
Prescott, who is a candidate for the Most Valuable Player award, is aware of the significance of successfully concluding the regular season with a victory in order to position themselves as favorably as possible for the postseason.
Earlier this week, Prescott was quoted as saying to reporters, “We understand the magnitude of this game and what it means: winning the division, having the home field,” as stated on the official website of the team. “However, the very last thing you should do is concentrate on that when the whistle blows, or at any point after that national anthem, to tell you the truth.”
