Cowboys Are the Fakest So-Called Contender in the NFL
By Jerry Trotta
Coming into Sunday's Week 5 clash at home against the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys quite literally had the perfect opportunity to squander the narrative that they can only beat inferior opponents.
Their three wins in 2019 have come against an Eli Manning-led Giants team, the Dolphins and Redskins. Their sole loss heading into the weekend came at the hands of the now 4-1 New Orleans Saints.
How did Jason Garrett's men respond on Sunday? By absolutely laying an egg in the first half against Green Bay. They trailed 31-3 heading into the break and that deficit ultimately proved lethal to their admirable comeback efforts.
In two #Cowboys losses, Dak Prescott has four interceptions and Ezekiel Elliott and Jason Witten both lost fumbles. The defense has created one takeaway, meaning the Cowboys are -5 in turnover ratio against the only two quality opponents they’ve played.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) October 7, 2019
The NFL's most distinct Super Bowl contenders simply don't lose the turnover battle against quality opponents. The Cowboys have done exactly that, and at an alarming rate, which tells us that they suffocate under the league's bright lights.
On top of it all, Dallas' schedule is virtually relentless for the remainder of the season. They have the Jets (who will have Sam Darnold back), Eagles twice, a Daniel Jones-led Giants, Vikings, Lions, Patriots, Bills, Bears and Rams on the schedule before they finally catch a break with the Redskins in Week 17.
Folks, none of those tilts within that gauntlet are gimmes, especially when you consider how poorly the Cowboys have performed against non-pushovers.
Combined record of teams that the Cowboys have beat in 2019 (NYG, WASH, MIA): 2-12
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 7, 2019
Combined record of teams that have beat the Cowboys in 2019 (NO, GB): 8-2
Through the first three weeks, the Cowboys were the NFL's darling to waltz their way to an NFC East crown and make some serious noise in the playoffs. Now, it is absolutely fair to call them the league's fakest contender.
It's amazing how quickly the narrative can change, and Dallas has A LOT of work to do in order to restore the faith of fans and pundits.