The statement I am about to make would surely draw a comment that 600 ESPN El Paso's Adrain Broaddus uses often on Cruncthime, "not so fast my friend!'  I'm going to say it anyway though; the Dallas Cowboys are legitimate Super Bowl contenders heading into the final month of the season.  Call me crazy, but after this team defeated the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football 13-10, subsequently beating the best team in the NFL, and ending their 10-game winning streak, this statement is without question a relevant one.

Not long ago the Cowboys were 3-5 and I argued that their head coach Jason Garrett should be fired, but then came the month of November where they went 4-1, won two critical road games at Philly and Atlanta, and their defense is quickly becoming one of the best in the NFL as this all transpired.  Let's face it, hardly anyone in their right mind saw the Cowboys defeating the Saints, much or less staying within 21 points of them.

The performance by the Cowboys' defense against New Orleans was by far one of their best in franchise history as they held one of the game's greatest quarterbacks in Brees to a mere 39 passing yards in the first half, his fewest total passing in a half as a member of the Saints, and 59 total yards, the organization's fewest in a half since 2002.

With that being said, in order for this team to have continued success and make a possible Super Bowl run, Dak Prescott must stop fumbling like it is going out of style, and be able to complete the deep ball on a more consistent basis, especially with weapons like Amari Cooper and emerging star Micahel Gallup.  If Prescott can step up his game, control the ball better, improve his presence in the pocket and become a better game manager, then the sky is the limit for the Cowboys.  Dallas has four remaining games versus the Eagles, Colts, Buccaneers, and Giants, all which are rather winnable contests.  Every contender in the NFL has proven to have their vulnerabilities this season.

Understandably there are some really good teams in the NFC in LA, New Orleans, and Chicago, but when your defense is allowing 18.6 points per game, you have one of the best core of linebackers in the league with rookie phenom Leighton Vander Esch, who is leading the NFL in tackles, Jaylon Smith and Sean Lee, then as far as I'm concerned, you can play with anyone.  One of the primary reasons why Dallas was never able to make a deep postseason run in recent years was due to the lack of a great pass rusher, now they have arguably the best one in the game in Demarcus Lawrence.

Without question, it has been a roller coaster ride for this team this season, one that is truly trending in the right direction as of now.  The final month of the season will be interesting to say the least, one thing is for certain; if this team makes some adjustments on offense and continues to play lights out defense, then they could just be that team that no one saw coming.  Will it end with a Super Bowl appearance?  We shall see, this team has certainly earned the respect of many and I'm saying there's a chance.

 

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