The Dallas Cowboys sit atop the NFC East standings at 5-5 with the Philadelphia Eagles (also 5-5) right beside them. The ‘Boys already defeated the Eagles in Philly and play host to their rivals during the regular season finale in Week Seventeen. New York and Washington both sit two games behind the divisional lead as well. All things considered, the Cowboys should be feeling pretty confident at this moment, right?
Wrong.
Make no mistake about it, the season has reached a tipping point for one of the most notorious franchises in professional sports. After being handed a humiliating 49-17 loss on Sunday night at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, there is trouble in the state of Texas.
In a game that saw New Orleans defensive co-coordinator Rob Ryan get his revenge over his former team, the Saints dominated from whistle to whistle, and it was never more apparent than when the Cowboys defense was on the field. Through ten games this season, they’ve allowed over 500 total yards of offense on four occasions. In fact, they’ve allowed over 600 yards of offense in two of their last three games. Simply put, in recent weeks this has been the worst defense in the NFL.
Injuries have played a huge factor in the situation. After missing three games due to a quadriceps injury, DeMarcus Ware returned to the lineup Sunday night, only to further aggravate the injury leaving his status going forward in question. Additionally, linebackers Justin Durant and Sean Lee sustained hamstring injuries during the game and are expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks.
The injury to Lee is the most crushing blow to the defense imaginable. In his short career he has cemented himself (when healthy) as one of the best linebackers in the league, and as the leader of this defense. The impact of his absence is immeasurable.
“America’s Team” heads into the Week Eleven bye licking its collective wounds. While there are much worse positions to be in than a shared divisional lead, this is a club that must find its identity during the break. With Nick Foles and the Eagles hitting their stride, Jason Garrett’s bunch can ill-afford another misstep. Make no mistake about it, this is the defining moment of the 2013 Dallas Cowboys season. From a talent perspective, this team should be a perennial lock to finish better than .500. There is a lot of time left to right the ship, but this is a team that is capable of overcoming all of this adversity. Now all they have to do is prove it.
Other observations from Week Eleven:
-Speaking of Nick Foles, he was solid again on Sunday, leading his Eagles to a 27-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Foles threw three more touchdown passes bringing his season total to sixteen despite only throwing 136 passes in limited action. Simply put, Foles has locked up this job. Even when Michael Vick returns to full health, it would take a monumental Foles face-plant for Vick to regain his starting gig. With the reeling Washington defense next on the schedule, look for Foles’ remarkable numbers to continue for at least another week.
-The Houston Texans’ nightmare season got even worse as news surfaced that star running back Arian Foster is headed to injured reserve with a back injury. Foster had been very effective this season when healthy, but the caveat here is that he wasn’t healthy very often. Ultimately, this chance to rest up and get back to full strength is probably a positive thing for the former Tennessee Volunteer. He’s had the largest workload in the league recent years and this is a good opportunity to do some healing up for one of the league’s best runners.
-The Green Bay Packers agreed to terms with free agent quarterback Matt Flynn. While Flynn has had little success outside of the Packers organization, there is no argument that he was productive in a handful of appearances in “Title Town”. With Seneca Wallace getting early in the game against the Vikings, third string quarterback Scott Tolzien may be in line to start this Sunday’s match-up with the New York Giants, but it is a distinct possibility that Flynn sees game action sooner than later. This coaching staff has proven that it can make good use of his talents, and there is no definitive timetable on Aaron Rodgers return.
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