The Dallas Cowboys did what they needed to do to potentially clinch a playoff spot and the NFC East crown Sunday, as they defeated the New York Giants 21-6. With the win, Dallas needs a Washington Football Team loss to clinch a division crown. If the Football Team defeats the Eagles on Tuesday, it all comes down to next Sunday Night in Dallas where the Team and the Cowboys will take center stage.
The Cowboys now move to 10-4 on the season. Here are three takeaways from the Cowboys handling of the Giants.
The Defense Continues to be Turnover Machines
All the credit in the world must go to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who has done such a great job with this unit this year. After getting fired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons last offseason, Dallas swiftly hired Quinn to rebuild this defense after the unit conceded 473 total points last year, a franchise record and top 20 all time across the NFL.
This year has been a completely different story. Specifically, this defense has been a playmaking machine. Against the Giants, Trevon Diggs, Malik Hooker, and Jourdan Lewis all recorded interceptions in the game. But it goes deeper than just that, it has been what Dallas has been able to do with these interceptions. Six this year have been returned for touchdowns, taking a ton of pressure off of the offense to constantly carry the burden for this team’s scoring.
If Dallas is going to make a big run this year, it is going to be because of the defense that takes them to the promised land.
Dak Prescott’s Slump Can and Will be a Problem
Despite the win, there is much to discuss when it comes to what on earth is going on with Dak Prescott. Prescott has been slumping in a big way the second half of the season, perhaps contributing to the calf injury he suffered in the week 6 overtime win versus the Patriots. Since week 6, Prescott has only posted 300 plus passing yards once along with six of his ten interceptions coming since week 6.
Dallas needs to get Dak Prescott going in a big way. Considering Ezekiel Elliott is also playing hurt with a bum knee, that is two of the Cowboys’ most important players who are banged up and slumping. Dak has three more weeks of the regular season to get things right before the games start to really matter. Upcoming for Dallas are Washington and Arizona, both at home, before traveling to Philadelphia in week 18.
Week 17 will be Crucial for Dallas
Very simply put, the Cowboys matchup versus Arizona will be crucial towards deciding their playoff seeding. Heck, it could even decide the top seed in the conference if certain things fall their way. The Cardinals are in the midst of their own slump, having lost two straight games to the Rams and the Lions.
Dallas has to beat the Cardinals in week 17 to have a realistic chance at the number one seed. Kyler Murray put on a show versus Dallas last season when the two teams met, but now things are very different. Murray will be without top target DeAndre Hopkins for the remainder of the season, good news for Dallas in this game as that is one very big threat that will not need any consideration during preparations for the game.
When now considering the state of the rest of the NFC, things are shaping up for Dallas to potentially make it into the playoffs higher than their current seed suggests. As things stand, Dallas sits as the number two seed in the NFC one game behind the number one seeded Packers. The Buccaneers are reeling, having lost Leonard Fournette, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin to injury in week 15. The Rams are yet to play, but they have their own COVID issues at the moment. The Cardinals have their own injury and performance issues. And then the wild card teams, three of them that will contain most likely the 2nd place team in the NFC West (Rams or Cardinals), the Washington Football Team, and the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers road in looks pretty decent as well, with matchups versus the Browns, Vikings, and then the Lions at Ford Field. The Packers should win the number one seed, but Dallas has to keep up the pressure. Remember, two wins to get to the Super Bowl are much easier than three. Dallas will want that top seed to get that first round bye, but first thing is first with Dallas needing to take care of business against Washington next Sunday Night.
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