By Sean Simara @Sean_FootyMad @TLE_Sport
If you asked any Dallas Cowboys fan pre-season what their expectations were for the season it would have been; don’t finish bottom in the NFC East, and maybe improve on the record of 8-8 which it has been for the past 3 seasons. Currently the Cowboys are 10-4 and on course to win the NFC East, so how far can they go?
Probably the most famous side in the NFL, the Cowboys, also known as ‘America’s Team,’ are all about glitz, glamour and drama in everything they do. From the billion dollar home field that is the AT&T Stadium, to the giant blue star on the helmet, the QB Tony Romo who’s getting paid big bucks and to top it all, owner Jerry Jones, the man at the top of the tree, who is a story in himself. Everything about the Cowboys is big – they may not be liked by many but they always make headlines.
Jones has said that the team have ‘exceeded his expectations already this year’. So where can the Cowboys go from here? With the NFC East in their gloves and the Indianapolis Colts to play at home and then divisional rivals, the Washington Redskins to end the season, I feel as though it’s their time.
The Colts will be a tricky proposition but they have been very up and down this year. Dallas should win although they will no doubt make it complicated as they always seem to do. DeMarco Murray is out of the game with a hand injury, which is a blow as he was in line for MVP honours, which is now probably a two horse race between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. However, big games bring out big players. Wide Receiver Dez Bryant turned up in Philadelphia, the latest of the famous #88 club for the Cowboys and, for me, he is the man to take them to the play-offs.
On the road Dallas have the only perfect 7-0 record in the whole of the NFL. Romo looks much more confident away from home – some players seem to be feeling the pressure of performing in front of their own supporters – something they will have to overcome on Sunday.
The Washington / Dallas rivalry goes back decades. The Redskins came to Dallas and won 20-17 early this year, that time with Colt McCoy at QB. Robert Griffin III started the season at QB, then got dropped for McCoy who then got injured with Griffin III again the current incumbent. The Redskins have had a terrible season so far, with a 3-11 record as its stands. They would love nothing more than putting a dent in the Cowboys play off push and give them their first defeat on the road, although I can’t see it happening.
I predict Dallas will win their remaining regular-season fixtures and head to the play-offs, where, if they can secure a tie away from home (given their fantastic form on the road), they will be confident of progressing. America’s team may just be about to shock America.
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